YuGiOh! Duel Monsters Replay
by Bryon Youngblood
Summary: Yugi's adventures before his meeting Judai Yuki in the first episode of YuGiOh! Duel Monsters GX. Witness new characters, old friends and enemies, and much more all after Yugi's Duel with Atem. -DISCONTINUED-
1. Chapter 1

Episode 1 - The Beginning From An End

The place, Domino City, Japan. A large city, almost the likes of Tokyo, New York City, Los Angeles, Paris, or Chicago. People moving about in their lives. The Town Square, the Aquarium, the Business District, everywhere, people coming and going. Right now, the center of focus was Domino High School. Just like any other high school in Japan, really. Except for the fact that one of its' students, a young man whose hair was spikey, from the back of his head and around. His hair also had all sorts of colors. Magneta-like red around the spikey parts, black on the inside, and yellow bangs.

This young man, 16 in age, had purple eyes, and he also had the uniform of a Domino High School student. He just had on a blue coat like some students in Japanese schools had, and underneath it, a white shirt, buttoned up. And to go with it, blue pants and some slippers.as usually worn in the classroom. This young man was Yugi Mutoh, otherwise known as the King of Duelists.

Years ago, Yugi's grandfather, Solomon, had been known as an adventurer, a gambler, and an archaeologist. He had travelled to Egypt, and found a mysterious tomb, which housed a unique golden box with an eye on it. What Solomon didn't know at the time, was that this box held a puzzle. After that, Yugi, when he was 7 years old, was given the Puzzle. Being a boy who enjoyed games, Yugi began to work on the Millennium Puzzle. It took him until he was 15 years old to complete it. The day Yugi would complete it changed his life. He had not had many friends at first. Until that day.

That day, Yugi was telling Téa Gardner, a brunette young woman about Yugi's age, about the Millennium Puzzle and what it meant to him. But at the same time, he was bullied by Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor, who had a reputation around Domino High for being toughs, and bullies, and Joey had taken the last piece of the Millennium Puzzle, and threw it into the school's swimming pool. However, Demetrius Ushio, formerly part of Domino High's student council, had tried to embezzle Yugi out of money by acting as his bodyguard. He nearly killed Joey and Tristan until Yugi stood up to him, surprising both Joey and Tristan. Yugi then was given back the final piece of the Millennium Puzzle he needed.. thanks to an anonymous friend, whom Yugi knew was Joey.

When he completed the Puzzle, Yugi had experienced moments where he slipped away. These moments, a spirit within the Millennium Puzzle would take over Yugi's body at times. Yugi didn't know it, but this other Yugi, known in truth as Pharaoh Atem, once lived 3,000 years ago and rid the world of the dark powers of the God of Evil, Zork. Zork himself threatened the world with the power of the Shadow Games, in which creatures from stone tablets known as Weiju, or Ka, and creatures in people's hearts and minds within darkness, or Ba, threatened the world. Atem sealed himself away into the Millennium Puzzle along with the darkness Zork represented, and a small bit of Zork. Zork, however, would survive... and their conflict would end 3000 years later. And it would come to include a game known as Duel Monsters.

But there was more Yugi would learn about Atem. Atem had no memory of his past achievements or his life as a Pharaoh. It wasn't until Battle City occured that he would learn of what he had to do. Atem's search had him search out the 3 Egyptian God Cards, Osiris, Obelisk, and Ra. In the end, he achieved them but lost them when he battled a group known as Doma. Doma had taken the God Cards, and set a plan into motion to reset history by cleansing the world. Atem fought hard, along with Joey, and his first real rival in the game of Duel Monsters, Seto Kaiba, but he had to learn of his own darkness, and also did what he had done 3000 years ago, shouldering the darkness.

Finally, the journey came to end. Atem learned that Bakura, a friend to Yugi, who possessed the Millennium Ring, had been controlled by his darker side, who in reality was Zork, wishing to conclude his battle with Atem in the ultimate Shadow Game, which if Zork had won, would have brought the world into shadows. Luckily, Atem won. Soon, after his memories returned and Zork was gone, Atem and Yugi, along with their friends, learned of the Ceremonial Battle at the location in which the Millennium Puzzle, Ring, and the other 5 Millennium Items were created, where Atem's fate would be decided.In the end, Yugi battled with Atem, and defeated him, thus sending him back to the afterlife.

It was now a little over a month after Yugi's victory over Atem, and he was just living life day to day, still missing him, but becoming strong for himself. Soon, the bell for class rang as Yugi got up, gathering his things until he heard someone say "Hey, Yugi!"

Yugi turned around and saw Joey, his messy blonde-haired, brown eyed best friend, having called his name. Joey smiled and said "What's the hurry, big guy? I mean, we still got another 2 periods to go through."  
"Sorry, Joey, I can't! I gotta go pick up my cousin from the Train Station. He's coming in from Tokyo, and I told Mom and Grandpa I'd go get him. It's been about... ohhhhh, I'd say 6 years since I last saw him."  
"Well, why not let us all go with you, Yugi?" A female voice said. Yugi and Joey turned to see Téa, who had short cut brunette hair, blue eyes, and a female school uniform, which had a pink buttoned up shirt with white around the colors and sleeves, a blue bow around the neck softly, and a similar colored pleated skirt.

She smiled as Yugi said "Well, Téa, I might want you guys to go with me, I just didn't want you to get into trouble. I mean, all I was gonna do was get my cousin, bring him by the school so he can register here at Domino High, and that's it. I even talked with the principal and my teachers about it."

"Wellll, I think that all of us going with you wouldn't be too bad. 'Sides, it's not that far from here, so rushing over there and getting him and coming back wouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, man! And 'sides, it's not like it wouldn't hurt to have your cousin meet your best friends." Joey added, giving a thumbs up.

Yugi nodded and said "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. We better book it!" Yugi rushed out the door, his friends following right behind. As they ran out of the front gate of Domino High, someone was watching from the side of the gate. This person had dark purple hair, a cigarette in his mouth, a black duster, a black shirt under it, and a pair of dark grey jeans and boots. The man smirked and said "That's the Duelist King? Feh... no problem."

Yugi and his friends soon made it to the Domino City Train Station, waiting for Taro. Joey then said "Hey, Yugi, how the heck are we gonna know what Taro looks like?"

"Aw, don't worry, Joey. He'll know it's me, and I'll notice it's him." Yugi replied, smiling. He then blinked, noticing a kid about 15 or so, at 5' 1", with the same spikey kind of hair Yugi had, only his was dark brown, and he also had a dark red shirt, with an orange belt around his waist and blue jeans with white and black sneakers, as well as a red backpack and a rolling lugagge bag as he turned, who then saw Yugi and shouted "Yugi!!" The young man came running up, grinning as he said "What's up!?"

"Hey, Taro!" Yugi replied as they slapped hands and Taro grinned brightly, then blinked when he looked at Yugi's friends. He then waved. "Yo! I'm Kentaro Mutoh, but you don't get to call me that. Just Taro, OK!?"

The others all nodded as Tristan said "Nice to meetcha, Taro. I'm Tristan."  
Taro gabbed Tristan's hand and shook it rapidly in his own two hands. "Dude! 's a honor to meetcha!" He then stopped himself and looked at Téa, walked up and took her left hand, then kissed it as he said "And who is this lovely young lady?"  
Téa giggled a bit and said "Well, I'm Téa, Taro. I'm surprised you don't remember me. Yugi has had me over before when you visited."

"Oh, right! Ehehehe.. sorry, it's just that you've grown A LOT since then!" Taro replied. Joey scratched his head then said "Yugi, are you sure this guy REALLY is your cousin?"  
"Super positive, Joey. Taro and I, whenever we were around each other, were like brothers!"  
"Yeah, well, I mean, he seems like he's everything you're not, dude." Suddenly, a right fist hit Joey in the cheek as he slammed to the ground with a thud.

Taro scoffed before he said "Don't make fun of my family like that, buddy boy! That's what makes me a lot different from Yugi! He may try to use words, but me, I think the direct approach is always the best way to go when dealing with morons like you."  
Joey sat up and shook his head rapidly as he then got up and put his face right into Taro's and said "What was that for!?"  
"I told you, you make fun of my family, you gotta pay in blood!" Taro added. Yugi stepped forward and said "C'mon, guys, let's not fight! I mean, we just got here and..."  
Yugi stopped himself for a moment and turned carefully, having felt something, but got nothing. He shrugged it off then got between his friend and his cousin so they wouldn't argue. But he found it harder to do than he thought.

A bit later, back at Yugi's house, he and Taro were getting situated as Taro said "Man, Yugi, you sure seem like you've done well for yourself!"  
"I guess so, Taro. But... I don't feel like I myself earned the accolades of things like King of Duelists, ya know?"  
"Whaddya mean? Ya referring to those times when you look like a whole new person and act like one?" Taro replied, scratching his head.

"Hey, how did...?"  
"Dude, I've seen you on TV when you've Dueled and after it! How'd it happen? Wait, wait, wait!! Lemme guess... the Millennium Puzzle did it!"

Yugi blinked in surprise as Taro flopped down onto his futon, grinning, legs crossed Indian-style, hands on his knees as he said "Who was that if it wasn't you, dude?"

Knowing Taro had already asked, Yugi did the noble thing and explained the whole situation, about Atem, and what occured during his time with him. Intently listening, Taro nodded as Yugi continued to explain until finally "...And that's how it ended. I defeated Atem, and he disappeared into the light. And with him, the Millennium Items' task was complete, and they disappeared from the Earth as well."

"Dude... that is some crazy stuff!! Do Auntie Suki and Grandpa know about this stuff!?!"  
"Grandpa was there for the final Duel. But Mom... I dunno how she'd take it if she knew I'd lost my soul and nearly lost my life on several ocassions, Taro. I mean, you handled it a little better than most people might have."

"Hey, Yugi... I grew up in Tokyo, man, and there is some crazy crap that occurs there quite a bit! So, trust me, I've seen alot o' weird stuff in my time, even if I am 2 years younger than you. But... you would tell your mom if you needed to.. right? I mean, she's gotta have a right to know that, man. But it's my opinion. You feel free to make the call however you please, man."

Yugi nodded a bit. "Yeah... yeah." Yugi looked down some as Taro then said "Well, I'm gonna go downstairs, see if your mom and Grandpa need some help with dinner, dude."

Taro stepped out of Yugi's bedroom, closing the door behind him. Yugi sighed some and said "Mom shouldn't need to worry about me anymore than she does sometimes. I can't tell her. I shouldn't." He then turned to his box, the same box he kept the Millennium Puzzle in and frowned some as he thought 'Atem... this is so tough for me... to not have you here. I don't feel I can be strong enough... but I'll try. I...' He then heard a crash downstairs and ran out of his room, racing down to the kitchen to see one of the dishes broken on the floor, the window open, and Taro, his grandpa, and his mom, all gone! Yugi also noticed a piece of paper on the floor and picked it up, reading it. All it said was "Come. Construction Site. Bring your Deck."

He knew that something was going on, but didn't know WHAT exactly. So, he raced back to his room, grabbed his Deck, and his Duel Disk, exhaled as he slapped his Deck inside of his Duel Disk and rushed out to the Construction Site. Once outside, Yugi headed north, because it was a 10 minute walk or so, but since he was running, 5 minutes was the most he'd take to get there.

At the Construction Site itself, Taro charged into a gated door that had him, Yugi's young looking mother, who had short magenta hair, a white shirt, and a long dark blue skirt, as well as his grandfather, who had grey hair and a matching beard, as well as a black bandana with two symbols that somewhat were close to infinity symbols, as well as green overalls and a white shirt under it as he said "Taro..."

"Hey, I gotta at least try to get us outta here, Grandpa! I know Yugi will show up, but I mean, gotta try something! Beats sitting here and waiting! I don't even get why this guy wanted to get us in the first place just to get to Yugi!" Taro replied, kicking at the door. A man who had dark purple hair, a cigarette in his mouth, a black duster, a black shirt under it, and a pair of dark grey jeans and boots appeared near the cage and shook his head. "Moron. You won't break out, until Yugi Mutoh shows. And I know he will show up." The man had a Duel Disk on also as he then smiled as he heard an elevator. "Well, well, well... he's here." He stepped forward, smiling as Yugi stepped out of the elevator to see his family.

He looked in shock and said "Mom! Grandpa! Taro!"

All at once, Suki, Solomon, and Taro all said "Yugi!"

"Good. You did come. I thought you would do so... King of Duelists. Heh. You're a lot shorter than you are on TV... I guess that means it's true that TV adds on a few inches and a few pounds."

Yugi glared at that man and said "Who are you!? And why'd you kidnap my family?!"  
"My name is Senbei Nakamura. And I am a Card Hunter. You see, we target Duelists who have cards that serve our goal to making the most powerful Decks in the world, as well as controlling the game of Duel Monsters itself. You may think that we're like the GHOULs, but we're better than those fools, because we see the potential of all cards... not just rare ones. We copy them too, but we do it with more finesse. We also attempt to change the face of the game, by making dangerous but exciting scenarios... but this information will not help you. All I was asked to do was beat you... then take your Deck."

"That's not gonna happen! I'll make sure you're beaten right here and now, Senbei!" Yugi said. Senbei had his arms crossed, eyes closed as he smiled. "Well, well, confident, aren't we? Overconfidence is the signs of a large ego, and too much pride, Yugi. And I have seen some of your Duels and I know that you have had a lot of confidence..."

"You're referring to someone else who isn't of this world anymore, Senbei... you're up against the real me." Yugi replied as he got his Duel Disk on the ready. Senbei smiled as he did the same. "Well, well.. then show me the real you and your skills."

"Before we begin, how much Life Points will we both be receiving?" Yugi asked.

"8000. Which has become a new standard for the game in some circles. I hope twice the regular amount of Life Points is no problem for someone of your skills..."

"Of course not!" Yugi replied as both he and Senbei had 5 cards, and at the same time, they said "Duel!!"

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his sixth card, having the limit of cards he could have in his hand as he examined his hand. He looked carefully then said "Alright, here I go! I summon Giant Rat in Attack Mode!"

With the Monster Card placed onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone which was placed in front, a greyish rat that held a human skull in its' left paw, with orange eyes and an orange tail appeared onto the Field, snarling some. Yugi had recently added Giant Rat to his Deck, because he had plenty of cards to make good use of its' effect.

GIANT RAT  
Earth/Beast/4/1400 ATK/1450 DEF  
When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can select 1 EARTH monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from your Deck and Special Summon it to the Field in face-up Attack Mode. Your Deck is then shuffled.

"I'll next set a card face-down to end my turn with just my 4 cards left."

"Heh. Impressive strategy so far, I am sure. My turn! Draw!" Senbei drew his next card and smiled as he said "I will set one Monster face-down, then also set one Magic or Trap Card face-down. Turn... end!"

Senbei smiled as he thought 'Fool. Even if he does attempt an attack, my card is all set to make sure my plan to get a stronger Monster than any he has succeeded without a hitch. And if he attacks and has something to counter my card, his Monster will be weakened by my lovely Newt.'

NEWT (English Name: Slate Warrior)  
Wind/Fiend/4/1900 ATK/400 DEF  
Flip: Increase the ATK and DEF of this card by 500 points. Any Monster that destroys this card must decrease its' ATK and DEF by 500 points.

"Alright... my turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and then said "Giant Rat, attack Senbei's set Monster!" Giant Rat charged right at Senbei's set Monster snarling as it leapt up and about to slam its' tail on it when Senbei said "Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack!"  
Suddenly, a spiraling swirl of some kind appeared, blocking Giant Rat's attack, then caused it to skid back to Yugi's side of the Field.

"As you may know, Negate Attack is a card that only works when you attack with a Monster, all attacks are negated, and your Battle Phase is over!" Senbei said, smiling.

NEGATE ATTACK  
Counter Trap Card  
When your opponent attacks with a Monster, all attacks are negated and your opponent's Battle Phase ends.

"Not bad. But now... I'll reveal my own set Trap Card! Ultimate Offering!"

Yugi's Trap Card flipped up, showing an image of a large green monster being seperated by a blood red monster from its' head as he smiled.

ULTIMATE OFFERING  
Continuous Trap Card  
At the cost of 500 Life Points per Monster, you are allowed an extra Normal Summon or Set.

"Next, I will set a card face-down, then I will play my Magic Card, Book of Moon!"  
Giant Rat began to glow as it disappeared, with a face-down Monster Card now appearing where Giant Rat was before. Yugi knew at least now his LP was safe due to Giant Rat's being in face-down Defense Mode.

BOOK OF MOON  
Quickplay Magic Card  
Flip 1 face-up Monster on the Field into face-down Defense Mode.

"Turn end!"

Senbei looked on. 'I wonder why he played Ultimate Offering. Unless he has something up his sleeve. He has only 3 cards... so he can't be that dangerous of a threat.'

"My turn!" Senbei drew his next card and said "Now... I will flip up my face-down Monster! Come to life, Newt!

With that said a blue skinned kind of newt with yellow eyes and a red dot in the center of its' forehead took to Senbei's side of the Field, with a yellow chest plate with red markings on it, its' mid-section revealed also, with a yellow set of round armor around its' waist, red pants, yellow boots, green sleeves with a red line around the wrist, its' fists clenched. But not only that, Newt's normal stats of 1900 ATK and 400 DEF were upped by 500 points due to its' Flip Effect to 2400 ATK, 900 DEF.

Senbei added "I am not done yet! Next up, I play Fairy Meteor Crush, equipping it onto my Newt!"

Newt's body began to glow as Yugi knew he might lose some LP on that transaction... due to Fairy Meteor Crush's effect.

FAIRY METEOR CRUSH  
Equip Magic Card  
When a Monster equipped with this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of one of your opponent's Defense Mode monsters, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Newt, attack Yugi's face-down Giant Rat and crush the vermin!" Newt charged as Senbei ordered the attack. It thrusted its' right fist downward, smashing Yugi's Giant Rat, which screeched out in agony as it was destroyed! Yugi then saw a small burst of energy come forth and hit him as he cried out, his LP reduced by 950 points to 7050.

Taro looked on. "Whoa! This guy is good! He managed to weaken Yugi's LP just a bit, but still..."

Yugi then said "Alright, but since you destroyed Giant Rat in battle, I get to use its' effect!" Yugi pulled his Deck out, beginning to examine it carefully as he smiled, getting his Monster of choice, Green Gadget. He then said "With Giant Rat's effect, I Special Summon Green Gadget!"

With that said, a robot with small hands and feet, silver legs and a gear like body in the center, with green in the center of the gear, as well as a head on the top with a red eye, and green shoulders with silver cogs appeared on Yugi's Field, its' body glowing red a bit.

GREEN GADGET  
Earth/Machine/4/1400 ATK/600 DEF  
When this card has been successfully Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, you may search your Deck for 1 "Red Gadget" and add it to your hand.

"And with Green Gadget's effect I get to add a Red Gadget from my Deck to my hand!" Yugi pulled his Deck out then searched for a Red Gadget, then added it to his hand, smiling as he said "And now I will pay 500 Life Points to use Ultimate Offering's effect, and make a Normal Summon!"

Yugi's Life Points dropped from 7050 to 6550 as he said "I will now Normal Summon Red Gadget in Attack Mode!"

Red Gadget materialized near Green Gadget, its' body red on its' feet, hands, part of its' wrists, and its' upper body and lower body, its' head was rounded out, with black and silver eyes, silver eyes and legs, a gear on its' back and gears on its' wrists, its' arms at its' sides.

RED GADGET  
Earth/Machine/4/1300 ATK/1500 DEF  
When this card is successfully Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, you may search your Deck for 1 "Yellow Gadget" and add it to your hand.

Yugi pulled his Deck out then grabbed his Yellow Gadget and added it to his hand. He now had one last thing to do. "I will pay another 500 LP and make the last Gadget be known... Normal Summon Yellow Gadget!"

With that, the final Gadget in Yugi's Deck materialized, with its' yellow body, silver gears on its' shoulders and lower body, with similar colored arms and legs, and a green eye in the center of its' face. Yugi's combo was now made complete.

YELLOW GADGET  
Earth/Machine/4/1200 ATK/1200 DEF  
When this card is successfully Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, you may search your Deck for 1 "Green Gadget" and add it to your hand.

Now, Yugi's LP was at 6050, but he had 3 Monsters on the Field as Senbei said "Damn you... you managed to get 3 Monsters out at once!"  
"That's the power of my Gadgets! They unite to pull one another out! And they're not gonna be alone for much longer, Senbei! I activate my set Trap Card, Mobile Fortress Stronghold!"

Appearing behind Yugi was a gigantic robot with a white body, large arms and legs, and in the center of its' chest were 3 circles... one with a green "G", another with a yellow "Y", and a red "R". Stronghold then knelt down, arms at its' sides.

MOBILE FORTRESS STRONGHOLD  
Continuous Trap Card  
After this card is activated, it becomes a Monster Card (Earth Attribute/Machine-Type/Level 4/0 ATK/2000 DEF) and Special Summoned in Defense Mode. If "Green Gadget", "Yellow Gadget", and "Red Gadget" are all face-up on your side of the Field, the ATK of this card becomes 3000 points (this card is still treated as a Trap Card).

Senbei chuckled as he then said "Very well... I'll just set a card down and end my turn."

Yugi nodded and said "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card and then said "Next... I will turn Stronghold to Attack Mode!" Yugi knew Stronghold's card was now considered a Monster Card, so he just simply shifted it to Attack Mode, with his Gadgets all on the Field on the Field as well, Stronghold's ATK raised from 0 to 3000 points! The slots with the colored letters R, G, and Y opened as Yugi's Gadgets shot into the air and slammed into their respective positions, Green Gadget where the green G was, Red Gadget where the red R was, and Yellow Gadget where the yellow Y was as Yugi said "Stronghold, attack Newt! Steel Gear Crush!"

Stronghold pulled its' fist back and thrusted it downward, smashing Newt into nothing, dropping Senbei's LP by 600 points, as Senbei cried out, some parts of Newt flying past him. Yugi then said "Even if Stronghold's ATK drops by 500 points to 2500, and its' DEF dropped to 1500 due to Newt's effect, Senbei, you still lose 600 LP and so your LP drops to 7400! Now... time to do some more damage! Gadgets, Direct Attack, Triple Gadget Strike!"

All 3 of Yugi's Gadgets shot out, charging at Senbei, all 3 punching him, dropping his LP by 3900 to 3500! Senbei groaned and said "So... this is the true talent you have, huh...? Good..."

Yugi then said "Well, I can't do much else, so I will set one card down and end my turn!"

Senbei chuckled, drawing his next card as he smiled. "Fool. Set card, activate! CALL OF THE HAUNTED!!!"

Suddenly, a series of headstones appeared onto the Field as Taro said "Not good! He gets to now Special Summon a Monster from his Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

"That's not good... it's like his whole Deck emphasizes on power..." Solomon added.

"Sure feels like Beatdown to me too, Grandpa! And I'm sure he's got more in wait there than just Newt!" Taro added as he, his aunt and his grandpa watched the Duel intently.

CALL OF THE HAUNTED  
Continuous Trap Card  
Select 1 Monster from your Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Mode. When this card is destroyed or removed from the Field, the summoned Monster is destroyed. If the Summoned Monster is destroyed, this card is also destroyed.

Soon enough, Newt rose out of the Earth, as a mist covered the Field, which had Yugi worried. Senbei then smiled as he said "Next I will play Cost Down, discarding a card from my hand to reduce the Levels of all my Monsters by 2! And so... to follow up... I will Normal Summon Dark Ruler Ha Des!"

With that, a demon with green skin, his hands and face only visible, his eyes red, a brown beard, and celtic-esque armor, with orange and yellow horns, holding a glass of red wine appeared on the Field. The robes were of purple and gold with a face on the upper portion near the next, as well as a skull-like shape under that, with red eyes as well... and then Senbei smiled.

DARK RULER HA DES  
Dark/Fiend/6/2450 ATK/1600 DEF  
As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, negate the effects of Effect Monsters destroyed by Fiend-Type monsters on your side of the Field in battle. This card cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard.

Senbei then said "Newt, attack Green Gadget!" Newt leapt forward, punching Green Gadget right as it sat in Stronghold, blowing it up and dropping Stronghold's ATK to 0... and Yugi's LP to 5550. Senbei then added "Hades, destroy Stronghold!"

Hades sipped some of his wine then shot a stream of fire out, blowing Stronghold up to nothing, and sending Yellow Gadget and Red Gadget back down to the ground, Yugi's LP drop to 3100, 400 points lower than Senbei's as Senbei said "As you can see, your Deck seems to be a Deck of Glass if you forget of Stronghold's effect only kicking in if all 3 Gadgets are in play. So now, I set a card down and end my turn."

Yugi nodded as he said "My... turn..." He was about to drop, then stopped when he felt something... something from his Deck.  
"Huh?" Yugi replied, blinking as he drew his next card, and then saw Horus the Black Flame Dragon Level 4, one of his new additions. He wondered if Horus was what he felt.

HORUS THE BLACK FLAME DRAGON LV 4  
Fire/Dragon/4/1600 ATK/1000 DEF  
As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the Field, control of this card cannot be switched. During the End Phase of a turn that this card destroyed a Monster as a result of Battle, send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6" from your hand or Deck.

He looked at the rest of his hand and nodded as he took a card and said "I play the Magic Card, Coins from Heaven! With this, both of us get to draw til we have 6 cards in our hands!"

Senbei nodded, drawing his 3 cards, as Yugi drew 3 also. He smiled as he saw another card that could help him... Winged Kuriboh.

WINGED KURIBOH  
Light/Fairy/1/300 ATK/200 DEF  
When this card on the Field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, its' effect is activated. After activation, during this turn, any Battle Damage that the controller of this card takes becomes 0.

Yugi nodded also as he said "I will summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!"

With that, a small brown furry creature with brown fur, yellow eyes with blue pupils, green hands and feet with yellow claws and white wings appeared onto Yugi's side of the Field as he said "And now I will just turn Yellow Gadget and Red Gadget to Defense Mode! Turn end!"

Yugi knew once he had what he needed to get, he'd let Horus out, since he felt that is what he felt from his Deck and then said "Your move, Senbei."  
"A fuzzy Angel is your last resort? Heh! You must be desperate, Yugi! Very well! My turn!" Senbei drew his next card, one sliding out of his Graveyard and into his hand as he smiled and said "Now, I Normal Summon Sinister Serpent in Attack Mode!"

SINISTER SERPENT  
Water/Reptile/1/300 ATK/250 DEF  
Effect: If a "Sinister Serpent" exists in your Graveyard during your Standby Phase, you can add that "Sinister Serpent" to your hand.

With that summon made, a green serpent with a soft yellow underbelly and green wings with yellow feathers appeared as Senbei said "But! I won't end there! I now play my set Trap Card, Meteorain!"

METEORAIN  
Normal Trap Card  
During this turn, when your Monsters attack with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monsters, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

Senbei then said "Sinister Serpent, destroy Winged Kuriboh!"

With the command made, Sinister Serpent charged, ramming into Winged Kuriboh, as it cried out "Kuri!!!" And then exploded, sparkling dust all over the Field as Yugi looked on and Senbei said "Hades, destroy Yellow Gadget, and Newt, you get Red Gadget!"

Senbei's Monsters charged, attacking Yugi's Monsters, destroying them as Senbei said "And that's game...!"

"No. Not at all." Yugi said, smiling, his LP still at 3100.  
"What!? How come your Life Points aren't at 0?!"

"Simple." Yugi said, holding up Winged Kuriboh's card. "Hane Kuriboh's effect. When it's destroyed and sent to the Graveyard from the Field, all Battle Damage I receive this turn is 0. So you were pointless in playing Meteorain."

"Blast... alright, I end my turn for now!"  
"Good... 'cause it's my turn!" Yugi added, drawing a card. He then said "Now... I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 in Attack Mode!"

With the summon made, a small silver colored robotic-like falcon-like creature with red eyes appeared on the Field as Yugi said "Horus, attack Sinister Serpent!"

Horus's mouth began to flash with a black and purple flame as Yugi added "Black Flame Fireball!!" Horus shot a fireball at Sinister Serpent, destroying it, dropping Senbei's LP to 2200 Life Points now. Yugi then said "I will set one card down and now... since I am in my End Phase, I'll send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 to my Graveyard, then Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 from my Deck!"

Horus LV4 disappeared in a flash of fire and then a much bigger version of Horus appeared, longer wings on its' body, a more falcon-esque appearance, a long tail, and longer talons as it roared.

HORUS THE BLACK FLAME DRAGON LV6  
Fire/Dragon/6/2300 ATK/1600 DEF  
As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the Field, it is unaffected by any Magic Cards. During the End Phase of a turn that this card destroyed a Monster as a result of Battle, send this card to the Graveyard and Special Summon 1 "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8" from your hand or Deck.

Senbei looked on and blinked as he said "What the-!?"

Taro looked on in awe and said "Whoa... what the heck is that!?"

Solomon chuckled and replied "This is a new Monster of Yugi's... Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6. LV4, LV6, and LV8. All of them work in sync with one another."

"Dad, how exactly do they work together? I saw that LV4 changed to LV6 once Yugi destroyed his Sinister Serpent." Suki asked, standing up some.

Solomon smiled. "It is simple. LV6's effect is all Magic Cards cannot affect it... plus when it destroys a Monster in Battle, you can send it to the Graveyard, and bring out the biggest of them all... LV8. You will see, Suki. He'll bring it out, and win. I can just feel it that Yugi will bring out LV8."

Yugi stood still as Senbei said "My turn!" He drew his next card, and showed Yugi his card. "I will now play the Magic Card, Dark Hole, and wipe out the whole Field of Monsters!"  
Suddenly, a black hole appeared on the Field, circling rapidly, sucking in Hades and Newt into it, beginning to also yank Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 into it also! Senbei began to cackle as the Dark Hole disappeared.

DARK HOLE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Destroy all Monster Cards on the Field.

Senbei snickered and said "This is over, Yugi! Your big bad Dragon is gone! I will now play Monster Reborn to bring back Newt in Defense Mode and end my turn! How do you like!?"

MONSTER REBORN  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Select 1 Monster in your or your opponent's Graveyard, and Special Summon it to your side of the Field, in face-up Attack Mode or face-up Defense Mode.

"It's fine with me." Yugi smiled as then suddenly, Horus LV6 shot out of the air and roared loudly as Senbei said "What!?! How is that possible!? How can Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 be back when I used Dark Hole to destroy it!?"

"Horus LV6's effect is that no Magic Cards affect it while it's face-up on the Field. So? Whatcha gonna do now?"

"... I end my turn. It's all I can do." Senbei said.

Yugi then said "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card and said "Horus LV6, destroy Newt!" Horus LV6's mouth let out the same black flame that LV4 let out as he said "Black Flame Stream!"  
A stream of fire shot from LV6's mouth then began to circle Newt, destroying it, even with its' ATK reduced to 1800, and its' DEF dropped to 1100 as Yugi said "I will set a card down. Turn end! And you know what that means... I will now send LV6 to the Graveyard... and call out one of my strongest Monsters in my Deck... call out Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!!!"

Yugi slapped down Horus LV8's card onto his Duel Disk, as a flash of fire wrapped around LV6, evolving it into LV8. LV8's body was now much bigger, with long arms where its' talons were, as well as its' claws and talons, its' tail longer too as it had a blue dot on its' forehead as it glared at Yugi's opponent, its' body glowing.

HORUS THE BLACK FLAME DRAGON LV8  
Fire/Dragon/8/3000 ATK/1800 DEF  
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Horus The Black Flame Dragon LV6". As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the Field, you can negate the activation and effect of any Magic Cards and destroy them.

Senbei looked on and said "Very well then.. this is where it ends!" He drew his next card, then he said "I will play Graceful Charity! Which lets me draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards to the Graveyard!"

GRACEFUL CHARITY  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Draw 3 cards from your Deck, then discard any 2 cards from your hand.

Senbei quickly drew three cards and then discarded 2 to the Graveyard, as he smiled and said "I will now play Premature Burial, at the loss of 800 LP and Special Summon my best and favorite Monster! Come out! Grandius Dragon!"

PREMATURE BURIAL  
Equip Magic Card  
Effect: Pay 800 Life Points. Special Summon 1 Monster Card from your Graveyard, Special Summon it onto the Field in face-up Attack Mode, and equip it with this card. When this card is destroyed, the Monster is also destroyed.

With a loud roar, a Dragon with a bone-like structure along its' spine, and with ribs, black wings, and dark talons and green skin under the bones roared as it appeared onto the Field, its' tail slamming as it did.

GRANDIUS DRAGON  
Wind/Dragon/8/3000 ATK/2200 DEF  
When this card is Special Summoned successfully, you can activate 1 Magic Card in your Graveyard. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack during this turn.

Senbei smiled as he said "Thanks to Grandius Dragon's special effect, I can activate a Magic Card from my Graveyard, so I will activate Dark Hole!" Dark Hole slid out of the Graveyard Slot of Senbei's Duel Disk, then appeared on the Field, circling around as Yugi said "No, you won't! I will now use Horus LV8's effect!"

Horus LV8's body began to glow as it roared, a big explosion of light shooting all ocer as Yugi added in "MAGIC OBLITERATION!!!!!!" Horus roared louder, exploding a blast of energy that shattered Dark Hole and surrounded the whole Field. Senbei cried out also as then the light disappeared as Senbei said "N-no..."

"Heh. What will you do now?"

Senbei clenched his fist as he said "Turn end!"

Yugi's LP - 3100

Senbei's LP - 1400

Yugi exhaled and said "My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and then said "Now, I play Rush Recklessly, to boost the ATK of my Horus by 700 points to 3700!!"

Horus's body began to glow as it roared, its' ATK 3700 now. Yugi then said "I will now play Monster Reborn and Special Summon Green Gadget in Attack Mode."

With a flash of light, Green Gadget appeared again as Yugi said "Horus, attack and destroy Grandius Dragon!" Horus's mouth roared loudly as Yugi said "Black... Flame... Inferno!!" Horus shot a blast of fire that blasted Grandius Dragon to ashes, destroying it and dealing 700 points of damage to Senbei's LP, dropping him to 700. Yugi then followed up "Green Gadget, direct attack! And add in Trap Card, activate Reinforcements!" Green Gadget's body began to glow as Senbei said "What!?!"

REINFORCEMENTS  
Normal Trap Card  
Increase the ATK of a Monster by 500 points.

Green Gadget's ATK was 1900 now as Green Gadget then charged with Yugi saying "Gadget Punch!"

Green Gadget then punched Senbei in the gut, causing the Card Hunter to cry out, his LP dropped to 0!!!

Senbei dropped to a knee as Yugi said "Yes!"

Taro, Suki, and Solomon all said "Way to go, Yugi!"

Senbei simply sighed and said "As promised, Yugi..." He took a key out and tossed it to him. "Here you go. This will let your family go... but I told you, the Card Hunters have a mission. And we will not stop it even if one of us loses to someone like you... one of us will probably beat you... or someone else. Count on it..." He walked off, then leapt off the construction site, but was gone...

Yugi looked at him, confused a bit But he shook it off and rushed to his family, unlocking them as he said "Hey,. you all OK?"  
"Man, that was cool!!! I didn't know you got this much stronger in such a short time!"

Suki smiled and said "You were very wonderful, honey!"

Yugi chuckled a bit, his cheeks red as he then smiled, just glad that his family was safe. He knew now of a new threat, but wondered what the Card Hunters would want from him in the future... so he would just have to be very curious.. and cautious to them...

Senbei himself, having landed on the ground surprisingly safely said "Boss... he knows..." speaking into a cell phone.

"Good. That means we have some idea of what he'd want from us I suppose... your work is done, Senbei. Let someone else handle the job."

"Yes." Senbei added, hanging up his cellphone, just walking off, a soft limp in his walk...

-To Be Continued...-


	2. Chapter 2

Episode 2 - Taro's Time To Shine!

The day after Yugi's confrontation with Senbei, he was just at school like always. Just sitting, looking at Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 before class was to start, as Joey said "Hello! Earth to Yugi!"

Yugi shook his head and came back from the slightly unaware state of mind he was in. "Huh? Did you say something, Joey...?"  
"Yeah, man, I asked what happened with you and Taro after you got back to your place last night? I tried to call ya but no one answered." Joey replied, sitting in a chair across from Yugi.

"Well... this guy, Senbei, from a group known as the Card Hunters, kidnapped Mom, Taro, and Grandpa, and I had to face him in a Duel. And... I felt this link between me and this card." Yugi carefully held up Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 to Joey. Soon, walking up, Téa said "Hey, guys!"

Joey turned and said "Morning, Téa!" but then cried out as he dropped Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8. Luckily, Téa picked it up and smiled. She then blinked a second and said "Whose card is this?"  
"That would be mine, Téa." Yugi replied.

"Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8..." Téa began to look it over then read its' effect and said "What made you want to put Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 into your Deck, Yugi?"

Carefully, Yugi took the card back and said "Something about this card calls to me, Téa... I don't know what it is, but it must be what Atem felt whenever he used Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl... like I was destined to use Horus the Black Flame Dragon in all its' forms. It's amazing."

Soon, Yugi, Joey, and Téa turned as the door closed and they saw Tristan and Taro as Taro was now in a Domino High School uniform, adjusting his shirt under it as he said "Man, I cannot get used to this uniform! Yugi, how do you guys pull it out!?"  
"I guess we grow into it, Taro. You get yourself all set up?"

"Yup!" Taro added with a big grin.

"We have his classes all set up, I showed him where everything is. It should be fine, Yugi." Tristan replied as someone behind them said "And who do we have here?"

All 5 standing there turned to see a young man with messy black hair, green eyes, a red and black headband with black diamonds in the center and the same uniform as a student at Domino High. Yugi spoke up and said "This is my cousin, Duke. His name is Taro Mutoh, and he's come all the way from Tokyo to stay with my family while his mom's in America."

"And whaddya mean by that 'who do we have here'?! Huh!? You being condescending to me!?"  
Duke chuckled and said "Such a fiery attitude. You do know who I am, right?"

"Yeah, yeah! You're Duke Devlin, the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters, and from what I can tell, you sound like one royal pain in the butt." Taro replied, arms crossed over his chest as he huffed.

"Hey, at least I ain't a walkin' talkin' midget." Duke replied, but then Taro twitched at that, then tackled Duke, the two beginning to punch and fight as Taro said "You're gonna pay for that!"

"You and what army are gonna make me, twerp!?!"

Some of the other students in the room all watched as Taro and Duke began to fight one another. Walking up to Yugi and the others, also in a Domino High uniform, but with long white hair and brown eyes as he whispered to Yugi. "What's going on, Yugi?"  
"Bakura... well, my cousin Taro and Duke are fighting. I knew when Taro got here someting like this was gonna occur, but in the middle of the classroom!? I'm sure this is gonna be one wild ride..." Yugi ended with a sigh until a female voice, soft and gentle, but sweet also, rang out and said "Would you guys please stop it? You know if the teacher walks in, you two both may be in trouble."

Taro had the collar of Duke's coat, as Duke had Taro's shirt. Both turned to the female voice and were in awe as the young woman in a girl's uniform had light purple hair, long in length, with part of it in a ponytail, tied by a yellow ribbon as both said, as if in a daze "Alright..." then they let each other go as the teacher for the homeroom stepped into the room and said "Everyone to your seats please. But..." He stopped and looked at Taro and said "Could you please step up?"

Hearing that, Taro gulped and rushed up to the front of the class, turning to everyone else as he cleared his throat. "I know what the teacher wishes of me. He wants me to tell you all who I am. My name is Kentaro Mutoh. But only teachers, and other adults will get to call me that. Everyone else can call me Taro. Uh, if you cannot tell by my last name, I'm related to our own Yugi Mutoh. He's my cousin. Sorry, I feel really shy in front like this! It's different when I am not around a big crowd.. so... sorry if I don't feel like talking!" He then rushed off, taking his seat near Yugi's desk as he sighed, panting a bit as Yugi patted his shoulder.

However... someone else in the class had their eye on Taro for a moment... and this one was another female student. This one had fiery red hair, and a girl's uniform on as she smiled, but this smile was like that of a succubbus... a sign of trouble.

After a few classes, about 3 hours or so later on in the day, around lunchtime, Taro was eating some lunch, particularly rice while he did his homework, making use of his pencils as makeshift chopsticks. He then continued to write as Yugi said "Sheesh, Taro, working through lunch?"

"Hey, man, the sooner I get this taken care of, the more time I get some work on the reworking of my Deck taken care of!" Taro swallowed his rice then said "What about the Card Hunters? You going paranoid on us?"

"Nope. I am cautious... but something tells me they want more than just what Senbei told me. And from what he told me, it does seem serious... to make Duel Monsters more exciting apparently..."

Taro had a small bit of squid leg in his mouth as he chewed then swallowed as he replied. "That cannot be good at all..."

But as Taro was about to speak again, the young girl with light purple hair walked up and said "Hello."  
"Oh!! Uh, uhm... hi." Taro replied, his cheeks red some. "Ya know... I never caught your name..."

The girl giggled some and said "It's Melody. Melody Nosaka. But many of my friends call me Ribbon."  
Yugi nodded. "Well, you know who we are, Melody. I was wondering what brought you over to our seats?"

"I just wanted to see how Taro was adjusting to our school." Melody asked, her arms behind her back.

Taro was about to speak until a red-haired girl came up and smiled "Taro Mutoh!!" She then out of nowhere hugged Taro as Taro gulped and Yugi and Melody had a shocked look on their face. Taro looked at her and said "Uhm, miss..."

"Oh! My name is Rumiko! I just wanted to say, I've seen you Duel in Tokyo before, and I must say it's an honor to have a Duelist as skilled as you around our school! Along with Yugi's known reputation, it will add to our school's popularity to know we have celebrities here!" Rumiko smiled, her long red hair resting along her back.

Tristan came walking up and said "Please, would you let go of my friend, Rumiko? You are suffocating the life outta him!"

In Rumiko's arms, Taro flailed his right arm and cried out "Lemme go, lemme go, lemme go! I LIKE THE ATTENTION, BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH!!"

Rumiko blinked then dropped Taro onto his feet, who was panting his head off. With that said, the young red-haired girl said "Thanks for your time, Taro! Buh-bye." She waved then walked off. Tristan scratched his head and replied. "Holding up well?"  
"So-so." Taro replied, as he smiled. "Hey, Yugi, if we got time, wanna get a practice Duel in!?"

"Will do, Taro. Lemme just grab my Deck and..." Yugi reached into his back, feeling for where he placed his Deck, but then he blinked. When he did... he had a bad feeling as he began to put all of his things out of his bag and cried out. "AAAAAHHHH!!! My Deck! No way!"

"Say what!? Your Deck's gone!?!" Taro said. "When did it...?"  
"I think I have an idea of who might have swiped it. But how that person managed to swipe it without us knowing it has sticky fingers." Tristan said, with Melody then saying "Rumiko! It must have occured when she was hugging Taro."

Taro clenched his fist and said "Oh, that's it! I'm gonna go find that girl, and I'm gonna get your Deck back, Yugi! Just you wait!"

Reaching into his bag, Taro grabbed his Duel Disk, and his Deck and raced out of the classroom. Walking down the hallway, quite a bit ahead of Taro was Rumiko holding Yugi's Deck as she smiled and said "Like taking candy from a baby."

Once outside, Rumiko looked around to see if she could find someone or something. One couldn't tell until... "Do you have it?" A male voice spoke from the shadows. Rumiko stopped and turned as she smiled. "Oh, yeah, I sure did, Senbei. I got Yugi Mutoh's Deck. But... your leg... should you even be up, big brother?"

Senbei limped forward, using a crutch to help him some, nodding. "It's alright, Rumiko. I just busted it, that's all that happened. It'll heal soon. And besides, why else am I glad the Card Hunters had you enrolled here, at Domino High, the same school Yugi Mutoh goes to...? It meant we couild spy on him, and if need be, take any potential Decks and/or cards from others who play Duel Monsters. Did you recognize anyone else who played..?"

"Yeah, Mutoh's cousin... Tero... Tiiro..."

"It's Taro!!!!" Senbei and Rumiko turned as they saw Taro, panting who had his Duel Disk under his right arm as he said, his index finger pointed at Rumiko and Senbei. "You got some guts, Rumiko, acting nice to me, then swiping Yugi's Deck! And then you're gonna give it to Senbei of the Card Hunters!? I thought for a moment something about you wasn't right!"

"Heh. Well, well, you're not as dumb as you act, shrimp. I'll tell you up... we'll make a wager. I'll give you Yugi's Deck if you can beat me in a Duel. But if I win, I get his Deck AND I also get your Deck. What do you say?"

Taro nodded. "Alright, I accept, Ms. Sticky Fingers." And with that, he rushed a bit out, sliding his Duel Disk on and placing his Deck into it, as it locked onto the ready position, and his LP counter was set at 4000 points. Rumiko reached behind her to get a different model of Duel Disk... one that was more petit it seemed, but it still had the basic 5 card Monster Zone, 5 card Magic/Trap Card zone, and a slot for the Field Magic Cards, and the Graveyard as well as she smiled, placing her Deck inside of her Duel Disk, her LP at 4000 also as she drew her first 5 cards ands Taro did the same. Then she smiled and said "You know all I said in class, Taro? It was all a big act. So let me see what you actually can do."

Taro smiled as he said "With pleasure. I'll go first then! Draw!" Taro drew his sixth card, examining his hand as he smiled and said "Time to rock and roll the gears, beybah! I summon X-Head Cannon in Attack Mode!" With Taro's summon a Machine-Type Monster with mostly a blue body, with some spots of yellow along the wrists, on its' fingers, down the middle of its' chest panel, and along its' upper arm area, and two cannons on its' shoulders appeared onto the Field.

X-HEAD CANNON

Light/Machine/4/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Next up, I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." Taro smiled, as a large Duel Monsters card took to his side of the Field.

Rumiko casually drew her sixth card and said "Trust me, beating you will be too much fun, Taro... considering you must be lonely."  
"..." Taro twitched at that a bit as Senbei already knew what his sister was doing... her skills at acting to her advantage as she continued. "You never seemed to fit in, and you won't here either. Everyone else didn't ask anything because they couldn't tolerate you. So why are you even here in Domino City?"

Taro clenched his cards, his hair over his eyes as he was remembering back in Tokyo... about 2 days ago, before his plan to set up a trip down to Domino City occured.

_"Mom, how long do you think you'll be in Seattle for?" Taro had asked, sitting with his mother, Asako, as they ate dinner, which just was rice and shrimp, something simple, which Taro liked._

_"It may be for the whole school year, kiddo. Besides, your Aunt Suki already said it was alright if you stayed with them in Domino City while I'm gone. Besides, I am sure that you would make a lot of good friends there. Especially considering you will be there with Yugi and I know how much you enjoy being around him. You two are so much like peas in a pod when together!" Asako smiled, her black hair tied up in a ponytail._

_"Yeah. But the problem is, Mom... I've not had many friends at school... everyone seems put off by me whenever I just try to talk about Duel Monsters or anything else I like. I dunno if this place will be any different."_

_"You just need to believe, Taro. That's all you can do, sweetie..."_

_"I suppose."_

Taro then heard someone calling his name, but it wasn't Rumiko. He lifted his head up and turned to see Yugi, Téa, Tristan, Joey, Duke, Bakura, and Melody, as he blinked and said "Guys..." With that said, suddenly, more students came out, murmuring as the Duel was about to get underway. Yugi looked on and said "Hey, Taro, kick some butt, man! I know how good of a Duelist you are so show her."

Taro nodded and said "Will do!"

Rumiko then said "Well, it won't last us too long! I play White Magical Hat in Attack Mode." With Rumiko's summon, a gentleman appeared. He had a black moustache, a while tophat with a blue trim in the middle, a white cape with reverse red side, a red bowtie, blue suit with white gloves and shoes. However, Senbei knew this card was of Rumiko's Deck, which she called "Sticky Fingers Theft".

WHITE MAGICAL HAT

Light/Spellcaster/3/1000 ATK/700 DEF  
Effect: When this card inflicts damage to your opponent's Life Points, one card must be discarded randomly from your opponent's hand to the Graveyard.

Rumiko then smiled, following up by saying "And to add to that, I play this card. Confiscation!"

Taro gulped a bit as Tristan said "Hey, Yugi, what does Confiscation do?"  
"The player who uses it pays 1000 Life Points and then can look at the opponent's hand and discard 1 card to the Graveyard. In other words, it provides card advantage a bit."

CONFISCATION  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points to look at your opponent's hand. Select 1 card and discard it to the Graveyard.

Taro's cards began to glow as Rumiko then saw virtual images of Taro's hand, sizing it up carefully, just smiling. The choices she had were Limiter Removal, Cyber Falcon, Y-Dragon Head, and Ground Collapse.

LIMITER REMOVAL  
Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Double the ATK of all Machine-Type Monsters on your side of the Field. At the end of this turn, all Machine-Type Monsters on your side of the Field are destroyed.

CYBER FALCON

Wind/Machine/4/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

Y-DRAGON HEAD

Light/Machine-Union/4/1500 ATK/1600 DEF  
Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if your control this Monster on the Field, you can equip it to your "X-Head Cannon" as an Equipment Magic Card, OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Mode. When equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, that Monster's ATK/DEF is increased by 400 points (1 Monster can only be Equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is equipped to is destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

GROUND COLLAPSE

Permanent Magic Card

Effect: Select 2 Monster Card Zones on the Field (you cannot select a zone occupied by a Monster Card). The selected zones cannot be used as long as this card remains face-up on the Field.

Rumiko nodded as she said "I will discard... Y-Dragon Head." She tapped Y-Dragon Head's card and it exploded, as Taro then took it from his hand and slipped it into the Graveyard slot until he smiled and said "You know, I was hoping you would do that... 'cause it gives me an opportunity to do this! Trap Card, activate! Gears of Rebirth!"

With that, the card Taro had set shined as the red metalled Y-Dragon Head appeared on the Field again, its' card horizontally turned as it had its' wings over its' body. Taro smiled as Rumiko said "How the-!?"

"Simple! My Trap Card, Gears of Rebirth. When a Level 4 Machine-Type Monster rests in my Graveyard, I can play this card and Special Summon it or another Level 4 Machine-Type Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode. But it can't change its' battle position next turn and can't attack while it remains face-up. Small price to pay."

GEARS OF REBIRTH

Normal Trap Card

Effect: Select 1 Level 4 Machine-Type Monster in your Graveyard and Special Summon the chosen card to your side of the Field in Defense Mode. This card cannot change its' battle position next turn, and cannot attack while it remains face-up on the Field.

Rumiko then said "So? It's gonna hurt you too. I play the Magic Card, Secret Pass to the Treasures!" Bakura looked on and said "I know that card. It allows a Monster with 1000 ATK or less that the player has to direct attack the opponent's Life Points. In other words, Rumiko can hit Taro for 1000 Life Points and..."

"Make him discard 1 card from his hand to the Graveyard... what a bad sitch that is for Taro..." Tristan replied. Melody looked on and said "How bad is it for Taro, Yugi?"

"I'm not sure yet. Rumiko's Deck isn't clear to me yet, even if her basic strategem is, Melody."

SECRET PASS TO THE TREASURES

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Select 1 face-up Monster with an ATK equal to 1000 points or less on your side of the Field. During the turn this card is activated, the selected Monster can attack your opponent's Life Points directly.

All of the other students observing the Duel all looked on, all of them giving their own opinions to others, as Rumiko said "White Magical Hat, attack his Life Points directly!" White Magical Hat charged right at Taro as he gulped then was punched hard in the face, hitting the ground with a thud, his LP dropped by 1000 points to 3000, making him tied with Rumiko. But as Rumiko reminded him... "With that damage, you're going to have to discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard at random."

Taro got up and began to dig through his cards in his hand, then discarded Limiter Removal to the Graveyard. Rumiko smiled and said "I will next set a card face-down, and end my turn with just two cards in my hand."

After shaking himself off, Taro exhaled and said "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card, now having 3 cards in hand. He then said "I will now play Pot of Greed!"

POT OF GREED  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Draw 2 cards from your Deck.

Taro quickly drew two cards, then looked at them sas he said "I now play Z-Metal Tank in Attack Mode!"

Taro's summon this time provided a golden colored tank-like Machine, with a green glass eye in the middle of its' mid-section, with 2 slots that seemed to be able to open... and now, Taro was ready to rock and roll as he smiled. "I'm sure you know how these 3 work, don'tcha?"

Z-METAL TANK

Light/Machine-Union/4/1500 ATK/1300 DEF

Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if your control this Monster on the Field, you can equip it to your "X-Head Cannon" or "Y-Dragon Head" as an Equip Magic Card, OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Mode. When equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, that Monster's ATK/DEF is increased by 600 points (1 Monster can only be Equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is equipped to is destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

"X... Y... Z...?" Rumiko blinked as she said "They're all... what!? You don't mean-!"  
"He is gonna do it, isn't he? He is gonna call that out!?" Senbei thought as Taro grinned and said "Get ready to meet the true power of my Machine Link Deck! X, Y, Z, UNITE!!!"

X-Head Cannon shot up into the air, Y-Dragon Head right behind, as a compartment on Y's back opened up, its' wings locking into place at its' sides as X-Head Cannon landed onto Y-Dragon Head's back, then Z-Metal Tank opened up its' back, sliding parts of itself into its' body as Y-Dragon Head pulled its' legs up and landed onto Z-Metal Tank, and then Taro said "And now... here comes the strongest of my Union Machines! X... Y... Z... Dragon Cannon!!"

Z-Metal Tank's compartments opened and revealed cannons as XYZ-Dragon Cannon sparked with electricity, as it was ready to fight.

XYZ-DRAGON CANNON

Light/Machine-Fusion/8/2800 ATK/2600 DEF

"X-Head Cannon" + "Y-Dragon Head" + "Z-Metal Tank"

Effect: This Monster cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play the above Fusion Material Monsters on your side of the Field. You do not use "Polymerization" to Special Summon this Monster from your Fusion Deck. Discard 1 card from your hand to destroy 1 card on your opponent's side of the Field.

Rumiko looked on and said "XYZ-Dragon Cannon!? I knew all 3 of them could unite, but this is just...!!"

"What? Complicated for a guy like me? I'm not as dumb as I look, sweetheart. And now I am gonna use XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect, discarding a card from my hand to the Graveyard... and destroy 1 card on your side of the Field!"

Taro took Cyber Falcon from his hand and slid it into his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, saying "XYZ-Dragon Cannon, Hyper Destruction!"

X's cannons charged up, as did Y's mouth, and Z's own cannons charged up all at once as they fired, blowing away Rumiko's set card, as Taro then said "Attack White Magical Hat, XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Now!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon's attack charged then fired, blowing White Magical Hat to dust, blowing it up, as Rumiko cried out, her LP dropped by 1800 points to 1200 points, but Rumiko smiled as she said "Foolish mistake, I got to say." With that, suddenly, a golden demonic snake like creature with an Aztec feel appeared, its' long arms at its' sides, its' 4 eyes glowing red, and a red orb in the center of its' body with a green slot shined. Taro blinked "What the!?!"

Rumiko then held up a card. "Check out my card... Statue of The Wicked. I bet you know how this works, right?" The red-haired girl's tone reminded the spikey brown-haired boy's attitude when he had summoned XYZ-Dragon Cannon. And she simply smiled, slipping her Trap Card away.

STATUE OF THE WICKED

Normal Trap Card

Effect: When this face-down card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, Special Summon 1 "Wicked Token" (Demon-Type/DARK/4 Stars/ATK 1000/DEF 1000) in Attack or Defense Mode on your side of the Field.

Taro then said "Well, at least I got the lead in LP for the moment, so I'll end my turn."

Rumiko smiled, drawing her next card as she then showed her next card. "I will now play Coins from Heaven. This little number will let us both draw until we have 6 cards. We both have 2... so we both get 4 cards."

COINS FROM HEAVEN (English name - Card of Sanctity)

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Both players draw cards until they both have 6 cards in hand.

Taro drew his 4 cards as did Rumiko, who smiled and said "I will next set another card down. And play Cyclone to destroy it!"

Taro blinked at that as the other card was destroyed, and out came another Wicked Token! Taro had then figured out it was another copy of Statue of the Wicked, which meant that she had 2 Wicked Tokens! And that meant she had two free Monsters now. Senbei smiled, watching the Duel, right arm across his stomach as he said 'Now it's time for the real fun to begin."

Rumiko then smiled, holding up a card as she said "Get ready! I now sacrifice both of my Wicked Tokens... and I call out this number!!" Rumiko's two Wicked Tokens disappeared in a flash of fire, her hand size being dropped to 3 cards in her hand now as she held up her 2-sacrifice Monster. "Come out! Ultimate Obedient Fiend in Attack Mode!"

In a blaze of fire, a gigantic red demon with black markings on its' body, two large red horns, a large-like teeth structure in the center of its' chest, eyes on its' chest and along the metal bandana it had, as it clenched its' fists and snarled... then roared loudly.

Taro looked on and said "Oooohhhh, boy... this isn't gonna bode well..."

ULTIMATE OBEDIENT FIEND

Fire/Demon/10/3500 ATK/3000 DEF  
Effect: This card can only attack when there are no other cards on your side of the Field and you also have no hand. Negate the effects of Effect Monsters destroyed by this card.

Taro then blinked, remembering Ultimate Obedient Fiend's effect and said "Ha! In YOUR face, Rumiko! That card can't attack since you still got 3 cards in your hand! And you couldn't set 'em 'cause then your poor Ultimate Obedient Fiend STILL couldn't attack!"

Rumiko chuckled. "Foolish mistake." She took another card from her hand and showed it to Taro as he said "I will now play the Quickplay Magic Card, Shrink, and weaken your XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

SHRINK

Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Select 1 face-up Monster on the Field. Reduce the selected Monster's base ATK by half until the End Phase of the current turn.

Suddenly, XYZ-Dragon Cannon began to shrink as Rumiko now had 2 cards as she then smiled and took another card from her hand. "I will now play this next card! The Secret of the Bandit!"

THE SECRET OF THE BANDIT

Normal Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be activated during Main Phase 1. Select 1 Monster on the Field. Each time the selected Monster inflicts Battle Damage, your opponent must randomly discard 1 card randomly during the turn this card is activated.

Ultimate Obedient Fiend began to glow as Rumiko said "As you can guess, my lovely little Fiend here will get the effect of Secret of the Bandit. Next... I will play Emergency Provisions and destroy my last set card!"

EMERGENCY PROVISIONS  
Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Send Magic or Trap Cards on your side of the Field to increase your Life Points by 1000 points per card. This card is excluded.

With the explosion of her set Magic/Trap Card, Rumiko's Life Points were raised to 2200 as Rumiko smiled and said "Ultimate Obedient Fiend, crush XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Inferno Fist!" Ultimate Obedient Fiend's fist began to glow with fire as it shot right at XYZ-Dragon Cannon, smashing it to dust, destroying it and dropping Taro's Life Points by 1100 points to 1900. But he then looked at his hand, randomly selecting a card, and discarding it to the Graveyard as he then thought to himself 'This is NOT good! That Fiend is strong, but Rumiko has wasted her whole hand just to attack with it... does she got some grander scheme in mind with Ultimate Obedient Fiend...?'

Rumiko then smiled, saying "Turn end."

Taro placed his hand on his Deck and said "My turn!" He drew his next card, with much gusto as he examined his hand. He then took his card of choice and said "I will now play this Magic Card from my hand! I play Silent Dead!"

SILENT DEAD (English Name: Silent Doom)

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from your Graveyard to the Field in face-up Defense Mode. As long as the Special Summoned card remains face-up on the Field, it can't attack.

With a flash of light, Cyber Falcon appeared back onto the Field in Defense Mode, its' wings wrapped around itself as Taro then examined other cards in his hand as he then took 2 cards and said "I will set 2 cards down, and so I end my turn."

Rumiko smiled. "My turn." She drew her next card and said "I will now set a card down, and since my poor Fiend can't attack yet... I'll end my turn."

Taro blinked as he then said "OK... my turn." He drew his next card as Rumiko then smiled, saying "Set Card, activate! SKILL DRAIN!!!"

Suddenly, Ultimate Obedient Fiend cried out as it dropped to one knee, groaning in pain as it then stood back up, cracking its' knuckles.

SKILL DRAIN

Continuous Trap Card

Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, negate the effects of all face-up Effect Monsters on the Field.

Rumiko's Life Points were now at 1200 points as she said "Oops. Forget it. My Monster CAN now attack, sans its' effect, but a noble sacrifice for it to attack without restriction."  
Taro gulped as he then said "I'll just summon Battle Footballer in Defense Mode."

A robot that appeared to have a football uniform on, its' arms crossed over its' body, a red helmet with the same shoulder pads, green chest armor and leg armor as it remained beside Cyber Falcon.

BATTLE FOOTBALLER

Fire/Machine/4/1000 ATK/2100 DEF

"Turn end."

"Getting desperate now, Mutoh? I can tell... you're nowhere near as good as your cousin. And beating you and keeping his Deck AND getting yours as well will be even sweeter. My turn!" Rumiko drew her next card and said "Ultimate Obedient Fiend! Plow right through Cyber Falcon!" Ultimate Obedient Fiend's fist began to ignite as it attacked, but Taro smiled as he said "Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack!"

Suddenly, Ultimate Obedient Fiend's attack was blocked by a vortex as it leapt back towards Rumiko as Taro grinned and laughed. "That was such an easy read to me! Too slow, I gotta say, Rumiko!"  
"Feh. Lucky break. I end my turn."

Taro exhaled and said "My turn..." He looked at his hand again... seeing he had Scapegoat in his hand. If he just had his best Monster... he could easily raise it up with his other set card AND win the Duel.

SCAPEGOAT  
Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: When this card is activated, you cannot summon any Monsters during the same turn (including Flip Summon and Special Summon). Place 4 "Sheep Tokens" (Beast-Type/EARTH/1 Star/ATK 0/DEF 0) in Defense Mode on your side of the Field. The tokens cannot be used in a Sacrifice for a Sacrifice Summon.

Taro closed his eyes as he drew his next card, then opened his eyes as he smiled, getting the Monster he needed... Perfect Machine King!

PERFECT MACHINE KING

Earth/Machine/8/2700 ATK/1500 DEF

Effect: Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points for each Machine-Type Monster on the Field other than this card.

Taro then smiled as he said "I will now sacrifice Cyber Falcon and Battle Footballer... and I will call out Perfect Machine King in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light both of Taro's previous Machine-Type Monsters had gone, and in their place, stood a larger machine. This one stood like a man, with red armor showing as well as white armor, including two missile launchers on the shoulders, the one on the right having a "04" on it as its' blue eyes began to glow. Perfect Machine King landed down onto Taro's side of the Field as he said "I will now set 1 card face-down! Turn end!"

Bakura looked on and then said "Is Taro throwing the Duel away? If Ultimate Obedient Fiend is going to attack, it's over. And... Skill Drain stops Perfect Machine King's effect. What is he...?"  
"I do get what he is up to... it's simple, Bakura. Just watch." Yugi smiled. "Taro IS good. And I won't help anyone in their Duels. All I can give him, like I will give anyone else is support, nothin' more. So come on, Taro!"

Taro nodded as he said "So... whatcha gonna do now?"  
"Gonna end this!" Rumiko drew her next card and said "Ultimate Obedient Fiend! Attack Perfect Machine King!" Ultimate Obedient Fiend shot its' fist right at Perfect Machine King and then it stopped as Rumiko said "What..? How did..?"  
Taro laughed then said "Check it out! My set card... Dust Tornado!"

DUST TORNADO

Normal Trap Card

Effect: Destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field. You can then Set 1 Magic or Trap Card from your hand to your side of the Field.

A tornado appeared onto the Field, sweeping away Skill Drain. Taro simply smiled before speaking and said "Since Skill Drain is gone, Ultimate Obedient Fiend's attack is null and void since you got 2 cards in your hand now, Rumiko! Plus, with Dust Tornado's effect, I will set one card face-down in my Magic/Trap Card Zone."

Rumiko then took her free thumb to her lip and bit it as she said "He's right... so I will end my turn. But I doubt you can get enough power to your Monster to beat me, Taro."

Taro smiled as he said "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card and said "You'd be surprised. I set a plan into motion WAAAAAY back a few turns ago."

"Hmm?" Senbei blinked then said "Wait a minute..."

Taro smiled and said "Set Card, activate! Scapegoat!"

With Taro's use of Scapegoat, four tiny goats, 1 red, 1 blue, 1 pink, and 1 orange, appeared on the Field, and happily smiled as Taro then said "But the fun doesn't end there! Trap Card! DNA Surgery!"

Joey then snapped his fingers and said "I get it! Taro is gonna use Scapegoat and DNA Surgery to raise Perfect Machine King's ATK by 2000 points!"

"2500, dufus!" Tristan added. "Don't forget, Rumiko has Ultimate Obedient Fiend in play too. Since we can guess he'll call Machine as the Type for DNA Surgery's effect. That means 500 for her Monsters too."

DNA SURGERY  
Continuous Trap Card

Effect: When you activate this card, declare 1 Type of Monster. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, all face-up Monster Cards become the Type selected.

With that, Taro's 4 Goat Tokens changed from Beast-Type to more Machine-Type as did Rumiko's Ultimate Obedient Fiend as Rumiko said "Oh, no! That means..."

"Yup! 500 x 5 2500! That means Perfect Machine King's ATK is gonna skyrocket from 2700 points to 5200 points!"

Perfect Machine King began to glow, and like Taro had said, its' ATK went up from 2700 to 5200 points. Taro then said "And since it's my turn... I'll attack! Perfect Machine King, attack Ultimate Obedient Fiend!"

Perfect Machine King locked onto Ultimate Obedient Fiend and shot a series of missiles from its' missile launchers on its' shoulders, blowing Ultimate Obedient Fiend to dust as Rumiko cried out, her Life Points dropping to 0 as Taro flicked his nose with his left thumb and put his index and middle finger into a V shape as he said "Victory is mine!"

Joey blinked in surprise as he said "He's THAT strong!? OK... mental note to self... don't insult Taro enough unless I want him to take me on in a Duel AND take me down..."

Tristan chuckled as he smiled. "Did you really expect less from Yugi's cousin?"  
"No, no! N-not at all!" Joey replied, chuckling uneasily as Melody clapped happily, with Duke saying "Wow. This shrimp is..."

Taro then walked over to Rumiko, extending his hand. "If I could... can I please get Yugi's Deck back?"

Rumiko nodded then placed Yugi's Deck into Taro's hand as she said "A promise is a promise."

"Thanks, Rumiko. And I gotta say, even if you did swipe Yugi's Deck, you're sure a strong Duelist! I sometimes thought for a moment I was gonna lose there!" Taro replied, a big grin on his face as Rumiko blinked then said "Just because you won today doesn't mean you will win next time." She turned and walked off, walking to her brother, Senbei as he followed. Taro then heard more clapping besides from Melody and turned to see everyone clapping.

He sheepishly chuckled, then rubbed the back of his head as Yugi smiled, saying 'I can tell that for Taro, adjusting was going to be tough, but now... now that he knows he's not truly alone, he will do well. And I am going to be right there with him to help if I need to.' Taro then said "Thank you very much!!"

However... Senbei and Rumiko kept walking as Senbei said "I am sure the boss will not be very happy about us failing, Rumiko."  
"Don't worry, Senbei... she did want to have their Decks studied for the REAL incident to come." Rumiko replied, smiling.

Senbei nodded as he said "Of course... but... I can't help but feel anyone of us won't beat Yugi or anyone else in his entourage..." Senbei had his thoughts to himself as he walked with Rumiko, to who knows where... as the plans of their "boss" seemed unknown for the time.

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Episode 3 - Enter the Mandarin Fist! Lee Seiron

At the Kame Game Shop, Yugi, Téa, Tristan, Bakura, and Duke all watched on as Taro and Joey shuffled each other's Decks, getting ready to run a practice Duel. Joey handed Taro his own Deck and Taro did the same with Joey's as both placed them down and then drew 5 cards. Joey smiled as he said "I'll go first! Draw!" He then drew his sixth card, examining his hand as he then said "I'll start by playing Panther Warrior in Attack Mode!"

Placing a card in his Monster Zone on the playfield, Joey's Monster of choice has dark purple fur, a scimitar in one hand, a shield in the other, as well as blue, yellow, and red armor, brown boots, and a green cape. Panther Warrior's effect may have hindered it from making an immediate attack, but that is not why Joey led off with it.

PANTHER WARRIOR  
Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/2000 ATK/1600 DEF  
Effect: This card cannot attack unless you offer one of your Monsters on the Field as a Sacrifice.

"I'll set one card down and then end my turn." Joey replied, placing a card in his Magic/Trap Card Zone, right underneath the Monster Zone he had placed Panther Warrior's card in.

"My turn. Draw!" Taro drew his next card, then said "I will set one card face-down and then one Monster to end my turn." Taro replied, smiling. "You guys do this kind of thing often, Yugi?"

"Sure do!" Yugi replied. Duke took a few nuts from a bag of mixed nuts he had as he said "And to see these guys doing it is interesting. Although... I bet I could beat either one of them."

"That one time you beat Joey musta been a fluke, Duke." Tristan added, his arms behind his head. "You tried it with your regular Deck, you sure would lose, I can guess."

"Hey! This coming from the guy who doesn't got much in the Dueling department!" Duke added on as Téa shushed them both. "Guys! Can you keep it down? You might break their concentration."

Joey nodded as he said "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card as he then said "I will play my..." Suddenly, the door opened and everyone lifted their heads up to see a young man standing in the door way, carrying a white dufflebag, having a black t-shirt under a unbuttoned red and white mandarin shirt, a blue sash around his waist, mandarin pants of black color with a yellowish dragon on the right leg, and black and white sneakers. He also had dark blue hair, which was tied into a ponytail by a yellow sash as he said "Yugi Mutoh?"

Yugi blinked as he said "Yeah... that's me... who are you?"  
The young man bowed as he said "My name is Lee Seiron... I have come for two reasons! 1, I wish to Duel you for the honor of someone I care about AND to prove my prowess to you... and 2..." Suddenly, Lee held out a book, which was opened, and the cover had the Chinese letters for "Autograph" on it "Can I have your autograph?"

Téa, Tristan, Duke, Joey, Bakura, and Taro all collapsed as Bakura said "You want an autograph as well!? What kind of kook are you!?"

"Ehehehehe... the unusual kind, sir." Lee chuckled as Yugi blinked.

Soon enough, Yugi and Lee were outside as they had their Duel Disks on, their Decks at the ready, their Life Point counters at 4000 as both said "Let's Duel!"

Both Duelists quickly drew their first 5 cards as Yugi said "Lee, who is this person you care about that you said you were fighting for the honor of? Is it someone I've met before?"  
"...You don't know? That person whom I refer to is Vivian Wong, the Duelist Queen of China."

"Vivian?" Yugi blinked as Téa sighed and said "I can't believe Lee is tied to Vivian somehow! I figured after the KaibaCorp Grand Prix we would have heard the last of her..."

Bakura and Taro looked at Joey, Téa, Tristan, and Duke as Bakura spoke first. "Guys, did I miss something here? What is going on fully?"

"And who the heck is Vivian?" Taro added, scratching his head.

"Vivian was a person whom Yugi and the rest of us first met at Kaiba's KaibaCorp Grand Prix tournament in California. She competed in the Grand Prix, but lost to Rebecca Hawkins in the first Duel. She then 'kidnapped' Mr. Mutoh AND made Yugi a proposal; if he won, she'd let him go, if she won, he'd go on a date with her. Simple enough, Yugi won. But she was NO pushover either time!" Joey said. "And if this Lee guy knows Vivian, that means it won't bode well for Yugi probably..."  
"I dunno... that name does sound familiar..." Duke added, rubbing his chin, trying to think.

Lee smiled as he said "Let's dance. My turn. Draw!" He drew his 6th card and then showed his card of choice to Yugi. "I will get us started by activating the Magic Card, Reinforcement of the Army! This little number will allow me to get a Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster from my Deck to my hand."

REINFORCEMENT OF THE ARMY  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Move 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster from your Deck to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled.

Lee pulled his Deck out and flipped through it until he got to one Warrior in particular... Legendary Fighter Wu Shu. He took it and shuffled his Deck quickly, then placed it back into his Duel Disk, examining the rest of his hand as he smiled and took Wu Shu and said "I play Legendary Fighter Wu Shu in Attack Mode!"

LEGENDARY FIGHTER - WU SHU  
Earth/Warrior/4/1800 ATK/1700 DEF

With a flash of light, a man with greyish-silver hair, blue eyes, a white tank top, white-taped hands, black mandarin pants, and the same kind of shoes appeared, kicking the air, taking a fighting stance as he did. Lee took another card from his hand and said "I will now set one card face-down and end my turn!" Lee's hand size right now was 4, but he knew of the risks he would take in this Duel. But to fight, it was worth it.

"My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, examining his hand. He noticed one of his Monsters was Breaker the Magical Warrior. He figured if he used Breaker, he could then destroy that set card Lee had on the Field without worry. He nodded as he said "I will play Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light also, Yugi's side of the Field had a warrior with red and gold armor, a shield of the same colors with a purple orb of some kind on it, and in his other hand, he held a green bladed sword, with a red and yellow cape, and a green lining to it. Soon, Breaker's sword began to glow, signalling his effect.

BREAKER THE MAGICAL WARRIOR  
Dark/Spellcaster/4/1600 ATK/1000 DEF  
Effect: When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, put 1 Magic Counter on it (max. 1). Increase the ATK of this Monster by 300 points for each Magic Counter on this card. Also, you can remove 1 Magic Counter from this card to destroy 1 Magic Card or Trap Card on the Field.

Breaker's ATK was then shot up from 1600 points to 1900 thanks to the Magic Counter on it as Yugi said "And now..."  
"Not gonna happen, Yugi! I play my set Trap Card! Weigh Restraints!" The life-sized Duel Monsters card Lee had on his side of the Field flipped up, showing a Trap Card whose image showed a Monste trapped by weights that had 1,000,000 on it.

Suddenly, metal weights slammed around Breaker, causing him to slump as Yugi said "Huh!? Breaker!"

"This Trap Card may be a Normal Trap Card, but the effect is a nice one, Yugi. For every Monster on my side of the Field, 1 Monster on your side of the Field has its' ATK dropped by 100 points x the number of Monsters I have. And since Wu Shu is my lone Monster... your Breaker loses 100 ATK points."

WEIGHT RESTRAINTS  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: When this card is activated, select 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. Decrease the ATK of the selected Monster by 100 points times how many face-up Monsters are on your side of the Field.

"Now neither one of us has the advantage, Yugi. If you attacked, you'd lose your Monster, even if you got rid of mine as well. So, what will you do now?" Lee smiled. Yugi then said "Sorry, but you're wrong about that, Lee. I got a card in my hand that's gonna help make sure I won't lose my Monster if I attack yours! I activate the Permanent Magic Card, Kishido Spirit!"

With that, Yugi's Permanent Magic Card took effect, as a glowing blue energy wrapped around Breaker as Yugi smiled and said "As long as Kishido Spirit is in play, anytime my Monsters are in battle with yours and their ATK is the same, my Monsters don't get destroyed."

KISHIDO SPIRIT  
Permanent Magic Card  
Effect: Monsters on your side of the Field cannot be destroyed in a battle if the two Monsters' ATK is equal.

"Breaker, attack Wu Shu!" Breaker soon shattered the weights, but their effect left on as his ATK was 1800, the same as Wu Shu. He charged as Wu Shu, with Yugi shouting "Magical Sword Slash!" Breaker then slashed Wu Shu right down the middle, destroying it as he remained in place, leaping back to Yugi's side of the Field.

"I'll then set one card face-down and end my turn." Yugi replied as Lee said "Alright. My turn. Draw!" Both players had their LP the same, at 4000 points each, as Lee drew his 5th card. He then said "I will play Karate Man in Attack Mode!"

With Lee's summon, an Africian-American martial artist with a yellow gi, black belt, a red headband around his forehead, and a large black afro appeared on the Field, taking a fighting stance. Joey blinked at that Monster then began to laugh at it as he said "Oh, man! What is THAT supposed to do!?"

"I wouldn't laugh, Joey... that card is more of a threat than it looks..." Taro added, looking on intently.

KARATE MAN  
Earth/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/1000 DEF  
Effect: Once per turn, the original ATK of this card can be doubled. When this effect is applied, this card is destroyed immediately at the End Phase of the turn.

Lee then said "Karate Man, power up!" Suddenly, Karate Man's body began to expand as it gritted its teeth, then slammed its' foot down, its' stance changing, plus its' ATK doubled to 2000 points! Joey looked on as he said "How the-?"  
"Karate Man's effect is it can double its' ATK for the turn it's in play, but it's destroyed at the end of the turn once the effect kicks in. Lee's got the clear advantage now... and who knows what else is in his hand." Taro added as Lee took a card from his hand and said "I will now play the Magic Card, Giant Trunade, returning all cards on our side of the Field to our hands!"

GIANT TRUNADE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Return all Magic Cards and Trap Cards on the Field to their owners' hands.

A big gust of wind shot around the Field as Yugi caught his two cards and Lee then said "I will now attack! Karate Man, attack Breaker the Magical Warrior with Fists of Fury!" Karate Man charged and punched Breaker rapidly in the chest, cracking his armor as he then uppercutted Breaker, destroying him and dropping Yugi's LP to 3800 points. Lee then said "I will now set a card face-down, and end my turn." Karate Man began to glow, then disappeared in a flash of light as Lee knew his turn was done... but he was protected. Yugi then said "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. He looked at his card and said "I will now play Torike in Attack Mode!"

The Summon Yugi made had called out a small green Monster who had a yellow horn in the front, two in the back, and 6 small yellow claws, 3 on each foot as it roared.

TORIKE  
Earth/Beast/3/1200 ATK/600 DEF

"Torike, Direct Attack!" Yugi said. Torike charged at Lee, as Lee then said "Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack!" With that call, a vortex appeared, blocking Torike's attack, blasting it back to Yugi's side of the Field, rolling along the grouind, its' eyes swirling as it sat in front of Yugi, trying to regain its' composure as it got up, then shook its' head, ready to battle again as it thrusted its' right arm ahead of it.

Yugi smiled as he then said "I will next play Pot of Greed!" Yugi drew two cards then said "I will set one card down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Lee drew his next card as he examined his hand, then smiled as he said "I will now play Kung Fu Nyan Nyan in Attack Mode!"

Lee's next summon brought about a Monster whom had dark pink hair, which was tied up in buns, a light pink set of robes with a sash down the mid-section, a ribbon of light blue around her waist tied in a bow in the back, similar ribbons in her hair, light brown pants, and dark brown boots as she took a fighting stance. Yugi recognized this Monster easily as he said "Wait a minute! Vivian's also used this card!"  
"Exactly, but for someone whose Deck is a Martial Arts Deck, Kung Fu Nyan Nyan is a perfect choice." Lee replied, smiling.

"Martial Arts Deck...?" Yugi added, blinking some.

KUNG FU NYAN NYAN  
Earth/Warrior/4/1700 ATK/1300 DEF  
Effect: If this card does not attack in the Battle Phase, its' ATK is increased by 300 points at your next Standby Phase.

"And to add that up, I will now play Monster Reborn, and bring back Legendary Fighter Wu Shu in Attack Mode!" Wu Shu then leapt back up from the ground, kicking the air as Lee took a fighitng stance and said "As you can see, Yugi, I came to play! I never back down and I always get serious in a Duel! In Battle, you got to give it 120, since Dueling is a whopping 100 mental, and 20 prep work on your Deck! Strategizing, planning, plotting! All of it matters in the end when you think about it!"

Yugi looked on and nodded. "I agree, Lee. But having fun should be important too." A simple smile came onto the face of the spikey haired Duelist as he said "That person whom Dueled Vivian was someone I knew well. He was my other self, and he felt he kept Dueling 'cause of strong opponents. But... to me, I Duel because it's fun!"

"Fun? That's his answer? That's why he Duels!?" Duke said, blinking.

Bakura nodded. "Everyone has a reason for Dueling. Winning for some is important, but... but Yugi's answer is rather good. It does seem true by how Atem Dueled that it was strong opponent who kept him going, even if he did also at times seem to enjoy winning. But... all in all, it was strong opponents who gave him his want to play."

Taro grinned. "I play fer the same reason as Yugi! What's the point of Dueling if you're just gonna be serious all the time!? IT GETS BORRRRING!"

The others all looked at the Field as Lee said "For now, Yugi. I end my turn."

"My turn. Dra-" as Yugi was about to draw, a sudden flash of light overtook the Field as everyone cried out and then Yugi heard a grunting sound from Lee. Once the flash was cleared, a young woman with messy, long blue hair appeared, with a dark blue duster, black skirt, black boots, and purple top as she smiled, holding a Deck in her hands. "Yugi Mutoh, I must thank you for this distraction... and now I have a Deck that belongs to someone as skilled as the Mandarin Fist of Beijing..."  
"That's it! Lee is the famed Mandarin Fist! A Duelist who is said to be one of China's best, and a skilled martial artist who has one many competitions outside of Duel Monsters competitions. I can't believe I didn't put it together until now..." Duke replied as Yugi said "Hey! You're a Card Hunter, aren't you!?"

The young woman in front of them smiled. "I am. My name is Uniqua. And, I must say it is good to have a famed Deck like this."  
Lee shook his head, standing up. "Hey! Give my Deck back to me, right now!"  
"Not a fat chance, Seiron."

"Then I'll Duel you for it!" Yugi shouted as Uniqua and Lee turned at the same time to Yugi. Lee looked on and said "Yugi..."

Uniqua chuckled. "Alright, but under one condition! You Duel with how your Field is right now, Yugi! I want to see how well you can do with that kind of handicap!"

"No problem." Yugi said. He then turned to Lee and gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Lee, I'll get your Deck back. I promise."  
Lee looked a bit surprised, then nodded as he got up and rushed to the others as he looked on. Uniqua raised her right arm, her Duel Disk locking into the ready position as she smiled, slapping her Deck into her Duel Disk, her LP counter raising to 4000 points as she drew her first 5 cards. "It still was your turn, Yugi, so please... continue."

"With pleasure! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, having 6 cards in his hand now. He began to look through his hand to figure out what to play next. He then nodded as he said "I will now sacrifice Torike, and I will summon..." Yugi closed his eyes as he took his card and said "Dark Magician Girl in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, Torike disappeared, and in his place was a young girl with blonde hair, a magician's cap that was lined with pink and blue, and she also had armor of the same colors, with a pendant in the center that had a star pentagram in the center, with parts of her breasts shown. She also had a pink skirt, and blue boots with pink lining along it as she also held a small staff in her hand, and winked when she appeared. Also noticable on her face were two pink oval-shapes on her cheeks, with a yellow choker and a small gem in the center.

DARK MAGICIAN GIRL  
Dark/Spellcaster/6/2000 ATK/1700 DEF  
Effect: This card's ATK increases by 300 points for every "Dark Magician" or "Magician of Black Chaos" that exists in either player's Graveyard.

Téa saw the anxiety that came to Yugi's face as she said "Yugi... he's reminded of his other self... he feels he isn't ready to use Dark Magician Girl yet..."

"Yeah, I noticed it too, Téa. Poor guy. He's acted strong for the rest of us to know Atem is gone, but he can't hide the fact he is scared that he won't do Atem's name justice..." Joey replied.

Lee looked on in surprise as he thought 'Yugi... why are you helping me? I... I don't get it. I thought we were enemies... I thought once we began to Duel, and you knew my intentions that...'

"Alright, I end my turn."

"So... this is the famed skills of the King of Duelists? Senbei must have been weak to lose to someone like you, Yugi. My turn." Uniqua drew her next card, examining it as she smiled.

"I'll get us started by playing Terraforming. This Magic Card lets me add 1 Field Magic Card from my Deck to my hand."

TERRAFORMING  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Add 1 Field Magic Card from your Deck to your hand. Then shuffle your Deck.

Uniqua pulled her Deck out, examining for a card as she acquired it, then shuffled her Deck, slapping it back into her Duel Disk as she showed her card to Yugi. "And now, I follow up with the Field Magic Card, Atlantis The Lost City!"

The slot on the side of Uniqua's Duel Disk opened as she slapped Atlantis inside and the Field Magic Card slot closed, as suddenly, water splashed around Yugi's feet and Uniqua's as she smiled, and a kind of underwater city appeared around them.

ATLANTIS THE LOST CITY (English name - A Legendary Ocean)  
Field Magic Card  
Effect: This card's name is treated as "Umi". Downgrade all WATER Attribute Monsters in both players' hands and on the Field by 1 Level. Increase the ATK and DEF of all WATER Attribute Monsters by 200 points.

Uniqua then smiled as she said "Next up! I play the Magic Card, Graceful Charity, which lets me draw 3 cards as long as I discard 2 from my hand!"

With the play of Graceful Charity, Uniqua drew 3 cards, smiling as she then took two from her hand, discarding them to the Graveyard.

GRACEFUL CHARITY  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Draw 3 cards from your Deck, then discard any 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard.

"And now, thanks to Atlantis, I play Catapult Turtle in Defense Mode!" Uniqua's summon brought out a large mechanical-looking turtle with a launcher on its' large green shell, near its' jet black legs and head as its' red eyes began to glow.

CATAPULT TURTLE  
Water/Aqua/5/1000 ATK/2000 DEF  
Effect: Offer 1 Monste ron your side of the Field as a Sacrifice to inflict Direct Damage equal to half of the Sacrificed Monster's ATK to your opponent's Life Points. Monsters used for a Sacrifice Summon or that are used as Sacrifices due to other cards' effects are excluded.

Uniqua then took a Magic Card from her hand and said "Next, I will play Premature Burial and Special Summon one of my discarded Monsters thanks to Graceful Charity! Come back to me, Genocide King Salmon!"

With that, Uniqua's Life Points dropped to 3200 as then, a demonic beige-colored salmon appeared on the Field, cracking its' tail fint as it roared, its' red muscle-like tissue appearing as it hovered over the water.

GENOCIDE KING SALMON (English name - Terrorking Salmon)  
Water/Fish/5/2400 ATK/1000 DEF

"Genocide King Salmon! Attack Dark Magician Girl!" The large salmon charged right at Dark Magician Girl, then slashed her in half with its' tail, as Yugi watched Dark Magician Girl get destroyed, his LP dropped from 3800 to 3200, tied with Uniqua's as he looked saddened to see Dark Magician Girl destroyed.

"And to finish up, in Main Phase 2, I shall sacrifice Genocide King Salmon to Catapult Turtle's effect!" Uniqua added on as Catapult Turtle's launcher pulled back, ready to launch as Genocide King Salmon landed on Catapult Turtle, then was shot right at Yugi. Yugi's eyes shrunk back as Genocide King Salmon turned into a fireball, then smashed into Yugi as he cried out in pain, his LP dropping by half of Genocide King Salmon's ATK, which was 2600, meaning Yugi took 1300 points of damage, his LP dropped to 1900.

Yugi dropped to one knee, as Uniqua said "This is just what I expected. I now end my turn. And once I win, I'll also take your Deck and show our boss just how good I am! And to prove to Senbei he was just too weak to beat you in a Duel, Yugi. All you seem to me is scared!"

Slowly getting up, Yugi panted as he said "My turn. Draw." He drew his next card and saw he had Change of Heart. He looked in surprise as he smiled and said "To tell you the truth, I was scared for a moment, but not anymore, Uniqua! I play the Magic Card, Change of Heart! This Magic Card will allow me to take control of one of your Monsters for one turn!"

CHANGE OF HEART  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Select 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field, regardless of position and take control of it until the End Phase of your turn.

Catapult Turtle flashed and then reappeared on Yugi's side of the Field as Uniqua said "What!?"  
"And now, I play Monster Reborn! Come back Dark Magician Girl!" In a flash of light, Dark Magician Girl appeared back on Yugi's side of the Field. Yugi then tapped a button on his Duel Disk, revealing his set card and saying with much bravery "Next, I play Sage's Stone! This Magic Card can only work if I have Dark Magician Girl in play... and it will allow me to play a card that was important to someone I know! I now get to Special Summon 1 Dark Magician from my Deck!"

SAGE'S STONE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Activate when you have a face-up "Dark Magician Girl" on your side of the Field. Special Summon a "Dark Magician" from your hand or Deck to the Field.

Yugi closed his eyes as he pulled his Deck out, and pulled out Dark Magician, slapping its' card onto his Duel Disk as he opened his eyes, his summon made complete as Dark Magician landed down next to Dark Magician Girl. Dark Magician had a very serious expression on his face, blue eyes, marks near his eyes, purple colored hair, with similar colored armor and magician's cape, accompanied by light purple markings, a sash down the middle as he also held a green staff in his hand.

DARK MAGICIAN  
Dark/Spellcaster/7/2500 ATK/2100 DEF

Yugi smiled as he said "Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, I know I am not Atem, but I hope you guys will trust me... and work with me as well as you did with him."  
Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both turned to Yugi, nodding as Yugi felt Dark Magician say to him "We had always believed in you, Yugi... we know you will do well.."

"And we will be there with you, like all of your cards are!" Dark Magician Girl's voice ran in Yugi's head. Yugi smiled at that and said "Alright then! Dark Magician! Dark Magician Girl! Attack Uniqua's Life Points directly with Double Dark Magic Attack!!"

Dark Magician thrusted his staff forward, as Dark Magician Girl rested her staff on her master's, both charging up an attack as they shot it at Uniqua, whose eyes shrunk back as she cried out, her LP dropped to 0 in one heartbeat due to the combined ATK of both Magicians being 4500 points. Yugi exhaled as Uniqua dropped to a knee. Yugi then spoke. "I normally take more time to play with a Duel, but since you had me going from my Duel with Lee, you sealed your own fate, Uniqua... now..."

Uniqua held Lee's Deck tightly until Lee appeared behind her, pinching a pressure point which caused her to fall unconscious as he took his Deck back. He then looked at Yugi and said "Yugi, why'd you help me? I mean..."  
"Because, just because you're a Duelist doesn't mean we can't be friends!" Yugi smiled as Lee blinked then chuckled at that. 'What a funny kid this Yugi is, but I can see why he is one of the greatest Duelists in the world.'

The next day, Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan, and Taro were all walking together as Taro said "Man, how cool was that to see Yugi using Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl like that!?! Did you think you were gonna do it, Yugi?"

"No. In fact, I mostly had Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl in my Deck, with some of Atem's other cards, to remind me of him. But I sometimes was scared to play those two most of all. But once I remembered that Atem, with his Deck infused some with mine, trusted me and believed in me at times, that fear and anxiety faded."

Téa smiled as she said "I am glad, Yugi.. we still do miss Atem, but that doesn't mean you should try to completely become like him to appeal to us. We care about you as you are, so I hope you stay yourself for a while to come."

At her compliment, Yugi smiled, his cheeks a tad red as Tristan nodded. "Now that was a great Duel, even if it was short. Hey, whatever happened to Lee after he got his Deck?"

"Dunno. He just disappeared after what Yugi said to him and that's all we saw and heard of 'im." Joey added, scratching his head.

"Hey! Yugi!"

Everyone stopped as they saw Lee, who was in a black school uniform. He landed on the ground and waved to them. "Yo."

"Lee! What are you doing here? We thought you went back to China!" Yugi said.

"Naw. I decided that being here has been such a blast that I wanna stick around here for a while. I know that it will be tough to be away from home... but I got some good friends to look out for me while I'm here in Japan."

Yugi blinked but smiled as he laughed and said "Alright! Don't forget you know where to find us!"  
"I won't. Even if I am a university student now, that doesn't mean we still can't be friends." Lee added on, as Yugi smiled and thought 'And so I've gotten another friend. I know deep down perhaps it wasn't the Millennium Puzzle that granted my wish for friends, but rather my own kind heart that did so. And I am glad for the friends I do have!'

Lee chuckled as he smiled and then said "Yugi... you and I still got a score to settle soon."

"You can count on that!" Yugi smiled also as both felt an intensity that was amazing, but fitting to most Duelists, a few to play at their max, to be the best they can be.

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Episode 4 - Invasion of KaibaCorp America! The Menace of the Fusion Deck

Yugi knew the Card Hunters had begun movement in Japan... but what he was unaware of is that they also had plans setting in motion across the ocean, in North America. To be exact, in KaibaCorp America's offices in California. Seto Kaiba, the short brown-haired, blue-eyed no-nonsense president of KaibaCorp, was once the rival of Atem, the other Yugi as some of Yugi's friends referred to him. Kaiba himself was a skillful Duelist, and a well known business man. He was also in Egypt the day Yugi had defeated Atem. Ever since that, he had headed back to America, to set a new venture into motion. He was walking down the hall to his office, just in a white business suit, with a light blue button down shirt under it, black dress shoes, and a dark blue tie, holding some papers as he overlooked the files carefully. He stepped into his office then set the file down as he heard a voice. "Is that what I think it is?"

Kaiba turned slowly to see his shaggy-haired younger brother, Mokuba, who also was his vice-president, standing right there. "It is, Mokuba. The plans towards Duel Academia are in that very same folder. The work on an island for its' location is being set up as well as finding worthy staff members... this could take a while... but to me, it will be worth it."

"What made you want to do it in the first place, Seto?" Mokuba asked, in just a yellow t-shirt and dark blue jeans as he looked at the folder. "I mean, the idea of a school for game programmers and Duelists is a cool one, just what made you come up with it?"

Kaiba smiled as he sat down, loosening his tie some. "Call it an epiphany ever since I saw Yugi vs. Atem, Mokuba. I myself do not fully understand it, but it is an idea of the ages. As well as the fact someone else wants in on it too."

Chuckling at how his brother referred to it, Mokuba smiled as he said "Well, I hope things go according to plan, Seto! It seems like this plan will take a couple of years to complete."

"It will be worth it. But I need you to take a look at progress for the Duel Disk Generation 2 Version 2 and the Duel Coat in R&D." Kaiba replied as he began to examine other files. "I've other things to do."

Mokuba nodded, playfully saluting his brother as he said "I will get right on it, big brother! You can count on me!" He then rushed off as Kaiba looked out the window, thinking to himself. 'Yugi. I wonder what you are up to right now. I often wonder how well I would do against the real you... against Atem, the other Yugi, I had never been able to achieve victory, save for my desperate attempt at Duelist Kingdom... which I regret. I am sure you are doing well, since you are someone who was able to defeat all 3 God Cards...'

Kaiba closed his eyes and then a male voice rang out. "You know, your 'friend' Yugi is doing alright, Seto Kaiba. He's actually pretty strong, stronger than we anticipated."

Quickly, Kaiba's eyes shot open as he turned to see a young man about his age with fiery red hair, and green eyes, along with a pair of glasses, a black duster, with a dark green t-shirt under it, and black pants and boots. The young man smiled, pushing his glasses up. "I bet you also wonder how I broke into this office undetected. Simple. I bypassed all of your security measures, had your security guards indisposed of, and also took some interesting information."

"Who the hell are you!?"

"My name is Mark. I am a Card Hunter. A pleasure to meet a famed Duelist like yourself, Kaiba-san." Mark nodded, then pushed his glasses up to the ridge of his nose.

"A Card Hunter? What does that mean? Are you a part of some sect of the GHOULs we didn't know about!?" Kaiba had a demanding tone in his voice, and his was one that demanded respect, but Mark just smiled and said "Those losers? We may have some of them in our ranks, sure, BUT we're better organized. We don't steal just rare cards... we take whole Decks in our quest."

Kaiba crossed his arms and scoffed. "Whole Decks, eh? And what is this 'quest' you are referring to?"

"To make the game of Duel Monsters more intense. And... I am here from our forces in North America to take your Deck..." Mark smiled as he moved his right arm, showing his Duel Disk to Kaiba.

"What if I refuse?" Kaiba had asked. Mark smiled and held up his index finger. "You HAVE no choice in the matter. Because I got 2 things precious to you... the secrets of your technology, which I am sure your rivals will love... and your baby brother Mokuba is my hostage. So, you got to Duel me to get them back. If you win... your brother is released, AND I also give you the disk with your company's secrets. However... if I win... I get to keep the secrets AND I also will gain your Deck."

Kaiba glared at Mark, his fist shaking as he said "Alright. You have a deal. Meet me on the roof in 10 minutes, so I can then stomp you into the stone age, you worm."

"Oh, I look forward to it." Mark smiled as he walked out of the room. Kaiba gritted his teeth as he then grabbed a briefcase near his desk, placing it on the desk, and opening it. Inside were a whole series of Duel Monsters cards, and a Duel Disk that was strapped to the roof of the briefcase. He then tossed his tie off... and with that, Mark had gone to the roof, arms crossed as he had two other Card Hunters in the back holding a gagged Mokuba.

Soon, as 10 minutes passed, Kaiba came through the elevator, this time with a long white jacket on, and mostly black underneath it, with 3 buckles on the arms, and two on the legs as he also had a belt with a silver KC insignia along the buckle, and around his neck was a Duel Monsters card, or so it seemed as he had his Duel Disk on.

"You will soon see what you get when you mess with my company AND with my little brother, Mark! How many Life Points will we be using?" Kaiba asked, glaring at Mark. Mark smiled and said "8000. Double what is normally done for tournaments. But this has started to become a new standard for us Card Hunters. But I will let you know, this will not be easy."

"For you." Kaiba added on.

"You think that, huh? You think you're unbeatable? Well, let's see about that." Mark flicked his right arm, his Duel Disk locking into the ready position, as Kaiba did the same thing and both glared and said "DUEL!!!", their Life Point counters raising from 0 to 8000.

Kaiba and Mark both drew their first 5 cards as Mark said "I will gladly start us off." Mark drew his sixth card, and said "I start by setting a Monster face-down. Then I will set 2 cards face-down to end my turn. Your move."

"With pleasure! My turn! Draw!!" Kaiba drew his sixth card and looked at his hand, smiling as he began to examine what he had to get this Duel really going in his favor. He saw one of his cards in hand and smiled as he said "I play Giant Germ in Attack Mode!"

With the summon Kaiba made, a germ-like creature with a purple and brown texture, and black around it appeared, hovering in front of Kaiba as he smiled.

GIANT GERM

Dark/Demon/2/1000 ATK/100 DEF  
Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, inflict 500 points od Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points. You can also take any other copies of "Giant Germ" that is in your Deck and Special Summon them to the Field in face-up Attack Mode. Your Deck is then shuffled.

'Soon, I'll make sure your Deck is dealt with for good.' Kaiba took another card in his hand and said "I will next set a card face-down and end my turn." Kaiba smiled, aware of what his strategy was. He planned to use his infamous Trap Card, Crush Card, to poison Mark's Deck with a virus, and thus weakening his Deck.

CRUSH CARD  
Normal Trap Card

Effect: This card can only be activated when a DARK Attribute Monster on your side of the Field with an ATK of 1000 points or less is destroyed as a result of Battle. Your opponent must then send all Monster Cards in his or her Deck, on his or her side of the Field, or in his or her hand with a base ATK of 1500 points or more to the Graveyard.

"Turn end!"

Mark drew his next card as he said "Alright... I'll bite. So... you plan to infect my Deck with your Crush Card, don't you? Like I said, I'll bite." Mark pushed his glasses up as he then said "I will now flip up my face-down Monster. Come forth, Curtain of the Dark Ones!"

A red curtain appeared, with ghoulish hands extending out of it as something under the curtain hissed. Kaiba blinked then smiled. "Small fry..."

CURTAIN OF THE DARK ONES

Dark/Spellcaster/2/600 ATK/500 DEF

"Now... I will play Polymerization from my hand, and fuse together my Curtain of the Dark Ones, with the Mystical Elf in my hand! Come forth, my great Monster! Kamionwizard in Attack Mode!"

A flash of light overcame Curtain of the Dark Ones, then in its' place came forth a monster with a mask over its' face, with red eyes and black lips, a black border around the mask. This Monster also had black and red armor, a black cape, and a scythe as it cackled demonically.

POLYMERIZATION

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Send 2 or more Fusion-Material Monsters in your hand or on your side of the Field to the Graveyard in order to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck to the Field. A Fusion Summon is considered a Special Summon.

MYSTICAL ELF

Light/Spellcaster/4/800 ATK/2000 DEF

KAMIONWIZARD

Dark/Spellcaster-Fusion/4/1300 ATK/1100 DEF  
"Mystical Elf" + "Curtain of the Dark Ones"

"Ha! Another small fry! Why suicide your whole Deck just to prove a point? You must realize you can't beat me and want to give up by doing this." Kaiba said, smirking.

"No. I will show you my Deck is made to handle your kind of strategy. I will play now, this Permanent Magic Card. Activate Sinister Justice!"

The first face-down card flipped up onto the Field with an image of a man who seemed to be of old European signing a contract with a demonic figure behind him.

SINISTER JUSTICE

Permanent Magic Card

Effect: While this card is on the Field, Level 4 or lower Fusion Monsters can attack the turn they are Fusion Summoned. Whenever a Level 4 or lower Fusion Monster inflicts Battle Damage during the Battle Phase, increase your Life Points by 800 points.

"That same card like that rat Big 3 used..." Kaiba gritted his teeth.

"Oh, but I am not done there yet. I now play Leading Question."

Another Permanent Magic Card flipped on Mark's side of the Field with Sinister Justice, this one with an image of the Dark Ruler, Hades, his left hand clenched and glowing blue as if he was dictating something...

LEADING QUESTION

Permanent Magic Card

Effect: Whenever a Level 4 or lower Fusion Monster on your side of the Field battles an opposing Monster, its' ATK is increased by 800 points during the Damage Step.

Kaiba saw that card as Mark then said "No rest for the weary. Kamionwizard... attack Giant Germ!" Kamionwizard responsed quickly to Mark's command, charging right at Giant Germ, his scythe glowing purple, his ATK shooting up from 1300 to 2100 as he slashed Giant Germ in half, destroying it. Kaiba covered his eyes, as bits of Giant Germ shot all over, his Life Points dropped to 6900 LP, as Mark smiled and said "And thanks to Sinister Justice, my Life Points will go up by 800 points now..." Soon as that was said, Mark's Life Points went up to 8800.

Kaiba smirked and said "Very well! Trap Card, activate! CRUSH CARD!! This Trap Card will infect your Deck with a virus and all of your Monsters in your hand, your Deck, and your Field that have a base ATK of 1500 points or more will be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard!"

Mark nodded. "As you wish..." He pulled his Deck out and pulled 2 cards out, discarding it to the Graveyard.  
"What? 2 cards?! How!?" Kaiba shouted in shock as Mark smiled. "My bigger Monsters are not part of my main Deck. Think of it..."  
"Not... of your main Deck?" Kaiba blinked as Mark smiled. "That's right."

"Feh! But since you destroyed Giant Germ, you will lose 500 Life Points!" Soon, mist wrapped around Mark, as his Life Point Counter dropped to 8300 points as Kaiba pulled his Deck out and then slapped another copy of Giant Germ onto his Duel Disk as he said "And also! I get to Special Summon another copy of Giant Germ in my Deck, and shuffle my Deck!" Kaiba pulled his Deck out, shuffling it then placing it back in his Duel Disk.

"Very well. I end my turn... and I have these 2 cards in my hand to thank for it." Mark replied, smiling. "A good start... let's see how else it goes..."

"I'll show you how it goes. My turn! Draw!" Kaiba drew his next card, and now had 5 cards as he took one card and said "I will now sacrifice my Giant Germ and I will play Kaiser Glider in Attack Mode!"

In place of Giant Germ on Kaiba's side of the Field came a golden metal-esque dragon with metal wings spreading out, its' orange eyes glowing as it roared.

KAISER GLIDER

Light/Dragon/6/2400 ATK/2200 DEF

Effect: This card is not destroyed as a result of Battle when this card battles with a Monster with the same ATK. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, return 1 Monster on the Field to its' owner's hand.

"Kaiser Glider, attack Kamionwizard!" Kaiser Glider charged at Kamionwizard, despite its' ATK going up by 800 points to 2100 thanks to Leading Question, and slashed it in half, destroying it and dropping Mark's Life Points by 300 points to 8000 points. Kaiba smiled as he took another card and said "I will set one card face-down! Turn end!"

"Very well. Impressive manuever, Kaiba-san. I admire your skills as a Duelist, but I have to do this. It is what I am meant to do. Let us continue." He drew his next card from his Deck, looking at his hand, then said "I will now play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed. This, as you know, lets me draw 2 cards from my Deck, thus it will allow me to increase my hand's size." He drew two cards swiftly, having four cards as he then said "And next, I play the Field Magic Card, Fusion Gate."

The Field Magic Card slot on Mark's Duel Disk opened as he slid Fusion Gate into it and it closed. As it closed, his Duel Disk began to light with the acknowledgement his Field Magic Card was in play as Mark smiled.

FUSION GATE  
Field Magic Card

Effect: As long as this card remains on the Field, a Fusion Monster can be Fusion Summoned without using "Polymerization". The Fusion-Material Monsters used in the Fusion are not placed in the Graveyard, but are removed from play.

"And now... I will remove these two Monsters from my hand... M-Warrior #1 and M-Warrior #2, and thus Special Summon my Fusion Monster, Karbonala Warrior in Attack Mode!"

A flash of light appeared on Mark's side of the Field and a warrior with dark purple armor with spikes on the shoulder armor, a sword in his left hand, a shield in his right appeared, slashing the air, landing gracefully in front of Mark.

KARBONALA WARRIOR  
Earth/Warrior-Fusion/4/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

"M-Warrior #1" + "M-Warrior #2"

M-WARRIOR #1

Earth/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/500 DEF

M-WARRIOR #2

Earth/Warrior/3/500 ATK/1000 DEF

"Heh! You're still at the disadvantage! You now only have 1 card in your hand."

"And it is a card I needed... to help prove my true colors. I play the Equip Magic Card, Fusion Weapon!"

Karbonala Warrior's sword disappeared and in its' place on his arm was a large cannon with a pincer-shaped launcher. The weapon looked almost techno-organic as Karbonala Warrior slashed the air, his ATK shooting up to 3000 points, his DEF shooting up to 2700!

FUSION WEAPON  
Equip Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be equipped to a Fusion Monster of Level 6 or less. Increase the ATK and DEF of the Equipped Monster by 1500 points.

"What!? What is that Magic Card!?" Kaiba asked. "And how did your Level 4 Fusion, such a weakling, get such a power boost!?"

"Simple, Kaiba-san. Fusion Weapon works perfectly for my Deck, since my best Monsters are Level 6 and lower Fusions which it works for only. And as I said... the best cards in my Deck are not part of my main Deck. Have you figured out what my Deck's theme is?"

"Fusion... your Deck's theme is Fusion! That's why your Deck was unaffected by Crush Card when I used it.." Kaiba replied, glaring.

"Exactly. My Deck is a Fusion Deck, and you are going to feel the menace of my Deck! But... I will not target Kaiser Glider due to its' effect. And thus... I end my turn."

'He left his hand empty, even if it powered up his Karbonala Warrior's ATK and DEF. And if I attack it, Leading Question will raise its' ATK by 800 points more to 3800. My Kaiser Glider would be decimated. I'll have to destroy that somehow...' "My turn! Draw!" Kaiba drew his next card and said "I will now turn Kaiser Glider to Defense Mode, then I shall play Graceful Charity!"  
"Perfect timing." Mark smiled as Kaiba blinked. "Activate Trap Card! Appropriate!"

APPROPRIATE  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: You can activate this card when your opponent draws a card outside of his or her Draw Phase. Each time your opponent draws a card outside of his or her Draw Phase, you draw 2 cards.

Kaiba's eyes shrunk once he saw Mark's Trap Card, as Kaiba said "You..."

"It's simple, Kaiba-san. You will draw 3 cards. And with Appropriate, each time you draw a card outside of the Draw Phase, I shall draw 2 cards. So I will get 6 cards thanks to you play Graceful Charity, so I appreciate this."

Kaiba gritted his teeth, drawing 3 cards, as Mark drew 6 cards, his whole hand replenished. Kaiba looked at his hand, and then saw one of his best Monsters, Blue Eyes White Dragon, and the rarest card in his Deck. Only 4 copies of the Blue Eyes existed... and Kaiba possessed 3 of the 4. He knew Blue Eyes would not help him here since Karbonala Warrior's ATK would go up thanks to Leading Question. But... he noticed another card in his hand and nodded.

BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON  
Light/Dragon/8/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

He took his Blue Eyes White Dragon from his hand, along with another Monster, Versago the Destroyer as he said "I will now discard these 2 cards from my hand to the Graveyard thanks to the effect of Graceful Charity, then set another card down. But that doesn't mean I am done. I play my set Trap Card, Ring of Destruction!!"

VERSAGO THE DESTROYER  
Dark/Demon/3/1100 ATK/900 DEF

Effect: You can use this card to substitute for any one Fusion-Material Monster in a Fusion. You cannot substitute for any other Fusion-Material Monsters in the current Fusion with this card's effect.

RING OF DESTRUCTION

Normal Trap Card

Effect: Destroy 1 face-up Monster Card on the Field and inflict Direct Damage to both players equal to the destroyed Monster Card's ATK.

Mark looked as a gigantic ring slammed around Karbonala Warrior's neck, and then grenades appeared around it.

"Who is suiciding now, Kaiba? You destroy my Karbonala Warrior, and you lose 3000 Life Points also."

"Think again! I play this Quickplay Magic Card from my hand! Activate Ring of Defense!"

RING OF DEFENSE  
Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: When this card is activated, any Damage that is not Battle Damage is reduced to 0 until the End Phase of the turn.

With that, a ring with 4 shields circling around it appeared in front of Kaiba as he said "Say good-bye to your super-charged small fry! Game over!"

The grenades on the Ring of Destruction ignited and destroyed Karbonala Warrior as Mark gritted his teeth, his Life Points dropped to 5000 as Kaiba smiled and said "Turn end as of now."

Mark chuckled. "Bravo. I expected nothing else from you. But that doesn't mean I am through yet. My turn is now." Casually, he drew his next card, and said "I will place one Monster face-down, and then place one card face-down. Turn end."

'He set a card down also... what does this mean? Another Trap Card? It matters not. I will defeat him and make him pay!'

"My turn! Draw!!" Kaiba drew his next card, seeing he had Monster Reincarnation. He smiled as he said "I play the Magic Card, Monster Reincarnation!!"

A flashing light appeared on Kaiba's side of the Field as he said "Now, I will discard 1 card from my hand, and thus place 1 Monster Card that's in my Graveyard to my hand!"

MONSTER REINCARNATION (Japanese name: Restore Dead)  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard. Add 1 Monster Card in your Graveyard to your hand.

Kaiba then grabbed his Blue Eyes White Dragon and said "But I am not done there! I will now play Monster Reborn! Come back to me, Giant Germ!"

One of Kaiba's two Giant Germs then appeared onto the Field, right next to Kaiser Glider as Kaiba finally added "NOW!!! I SACRIFICE BOTH MY MONSTERS!! COME OUT! BLUE EYES WHITE DRAGON, MY ULTIMATE SERVANT!!"

Kaiser Glider and Giant Germ disappeared in flashes of light as Kaiba slapped down the card of his favorite Monster onto his Duel Disk. A majestic dragon, with a bluish-white body, long wings, a long tail, a massive set of claws, and blue eyes that seemed to glow. Blue Eyes roared as Kaiba said "Blue Eyes! Attack his face-down Monster!!"

Blue Eyes's mouth charged with a massive spark of energy, as if the Earth itself rumbled. Kaiba then said "Burst Stream of Destruction!!"

Blue Eyes then shot a massive stream of energy right at Mark's set Monster. When the card was destroyed, it was a small, invisible, cupid-esque angel with a halo over it's head, a bow in one hand with an arrow in the other as well as small wings.

"What was that Monster?"  
"Skelengel. Thanks for destroying it. With its' Flip Effect, I get to draw 1 card from my Deck."

SKELENGEL

Light/Angel/2/900 ATK/400 DEF

Effect: Flip: Draw 1 card from your Deck.

Mark drew his card and smiled. "But it is a pleasure to see the Blue Eyes White Dragon. I knew you would call it out eventually... wonderful! Amazing!"

Kaiba gritted his teeth and said "I will now play the Permanent Magic Card, Two Man Cell Battle!"

TWO MAN CELL BATTLE

Permanent Magic Card

Effect: During each player's End Phase, the turn player can Special Summon 1 Level 4 Normal Monster from his or her hand to the Field.

"And I end my turn, and thanks to Two Man Cell Battle, I will Special Summon 1 Level 4 Normal Monster from my hand. My Monster of choice is La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp!"

Kaiba's Special Summon caused a green monster with gold gauntlets along its' wrists, bands around his upper arm, and one around its' neck. It also had gold earrings, and a fez-like hat with blue along the upper region with red lining underneath it. The Monster also had a smirk on it's face, and a long black moustache. This Monster also had its' arms crossed over its' chest as it smirked, chuckling as it hovered in the air, with no legs it seemed... its' lower region being nothing but a mist.

LA JINN THE MYSTICAL GENIE OF THE LAMP

Dark/Demon/4/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"Not bad. My turn." Mark drew his next card, and saw he had more Fusion Material Monsters. He then said "I will now play my set Trap Card, Call of the Haunted. Come back to me, Karbonala Warrior."

With a purple mist, Karbonala Warrior appeared on the Field again, slashing the air. Mark's hand size was now at 5. He looked at his hand and then smiled as he took two cards from his hand and said "I will now remove these two Monsters from play!"

With that, a purplish creature with a golden crown, a sash around its' chest, a staff in its' hand and a grin, as well as an insect-like creature with teal skin, orange markings, yellow eyes, spikes along its' shoulders and such appeared on the Field, spiralling into one another. "Lord of the Lamp, Invader from Another Dimension! FUSE TOGETHER!"

LORD OF THE LAMP

Dark/Demon/4/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

INVADER FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION

Dark/Demon/4/950 ATK/1400 DEF

With the Fusion made complete, a large yellow dragon with green eyes appeared, and riding on its' back was a clown, whom held a scythe and had yellow and green shoulder amr, and red robes underneath it as it cackled, slashing the air. "My strongest Fusion Monster! Soul Hunter!"

SOUL HUNTER

Dark/Demon/6/2200 ATK/1800 DEF

"Lord of the Lamp" + "Invader from Another Dimension"

"And to add onto it, I will now play Fusion Weapon!"

In place of its' scythe, Soul Hunter had the Fusion Weapon cannon on its' arm, its' ATK shooting up to 3700 points, and its' DEF shooting up to 3300 points! Kaiba then said "So? You will not do the most damage to me that way."

Mark smiled and said "Who said I was done? I play my set Equip Magic Card! Magical Clone!"

Mark's Life Points dropped from 5000 points to 4200, as then out of nowhere, a black, white, and grey copy of Fusion Weapon appeared on Karbonala Warrior, its' ATK/DEF going to 3000/2700.

MAGICAL CLONE

Equip Magic Card

Effect: Pay 800 Life Points when you activate this card. Select 1 other Equip Magic Card on your side of the Field. As long as this card is face-up on the Field, this card copies the text of the chosen Equip Magic Card.

Kaiba's eyes shrunk back as Mark said "Soul Hunter! Attack Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Soul Hunter aimed at Blue Eyes White Dragon, the Fusion Weapon charging up as it then shot a blast that destroyed the Blue Eyes White Dragon, cackling as the Blue Eyes White Dragon roared before its' body was destroyed, Kaiba looking on in shock, his Life Points dropped to 6200. Mark then said "And now... Karbonala Warrior! Attack La Jinn!!!"

Karbonala Warrior locked onto La Jinn, its' Fusion Weapon copy charging up, then Leading Question began to glow as well. Mark thusly said "And thanks to Leading Question, my Karbonala Warrior's ATK goes up to 3800 points! NOW!!! ATTACK!!!"

The Fusion Weapon copy Karbonala Warrior had fired, destroying La Jinn as Kaiba cried out, a massive explosion overtaking his body. Soon, the explosion cleared, and Kaiba was on his knee, panting heavily, his Life Points at 3200 as Mark's went up to 5000 as he said "And thanks to Sinister Justice, I now have 800 more Life Points. And I end my turn. But I have no Monsters to use with Two Man Cell Battle.."

Mokuba shook with fear as one of Mark's minions chuckled and said "Man, the boss is on a roll!"

"He is doing well. I'm sure that he will win next turn..."

Kaiba panted heavily, looking down at the ground. He looked at Mokuba and thought 'Mokuba... I cannot do it... I have tried everything I can... I... I...' Kaiba then closed his eyes, gritting his teeth until he then remembered the Duel Yugi had with Atem. How he had felt Yugi wouldn't have succeeded in beating the God Cards. He then remembered that outstanding miracle when Yugi had defeated the God Cards.

'He... Yugi was able to do something no one else could have done. He was about to defeat the 3 strongest cards in all of Duel Monsters as well as beating one of the strongest Duelists I've seen... I... I cannot give up! Yugi wouldn't give up! Like you, Yugi, I will fight with all my heart! But... the odds of drawing a card I need are bad at the moment. I... I must believe I can. I trust my Deck... so I can do this!'

Kaiba got up and said "My turn! Draw!!" Bravely, Kaiba drew his next card, seeing he had Blue Eyes Shining Dragon... one of his strongest cards, although it didn't do him any good at the time since he didn't have the proper requirements for it.

BLUE EYES SHINING DRAGON  
Light/Dragon/10/3000 ATK/2500 DEF

Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned expect by offering 1 "Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon" on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice. Increase the ATK of this card by 300 points for each Dragon-Type Monster in your Graveyard. You can negate the effect of Magic, Trap, and Effect Monster Cards that designate this card as a target.

Kaiba noticed some other cards and saw he had Card of Demise, but his hand had 4 cards. It'd do him no good. He nodded as he said "I will now play the Magic Card, Heavy Storm!! This torrent will destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on both sides of the Field!"

HEAVY STORM

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on the Field.

A massive burst of wind shot around the Field, blowing away all of the Magic and Trap Cards on the Field as Karbonala Warrior was destroyed, since Call of the Haunted was destroyed as well! And Soul Hunter's ATK was dropped to 2200 once more. Kaiba looked at his hand and then he took another card and said "I now play Premature Burial! This Equip Magic Card will allow me to pay 800 Life Points AND Special Summon 1 Monster to my side of the Field that is in my Graveyard!"

Kaiba's LP dropped down to 2400 points thanks to Premature Burial. Kaiba's Monster of choice was Blue Eyes White Dragon, which roared as it spread out its' wings. Kaiba's hand was right now 2 cards as he said "And now I play Card of Demise!!!"

CARD OF DEMISE

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Draw cards until you have 5 cards in your hand. Then 5 turns later, you must discard your entire hand to the Graveyard.

Kaiba had only 1 card, so he quickly drew 4 cards, and smiled as he said "Next, I play Pot of Greed!" Kaiba quickly drew 2 cards, his hand size now 6 as he smiled, seeing his other Blue Eyes White Dragons AND Polymerization! He nodded and said "I will now play Polymerization, and send my Blue Eyes White Dragon to the Graveyard along with the 2 in my hand and call out my strongest Monster! COME OUT!! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

In a flash of light, Blue Eyes White Dragon roared, and then a silhouette of a 3-headed dragon appeared on the Field. And revealed was the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!! It was like an ordinary Blue Eyes, save for it had 3 heads, and it roared loudly as it landed down on the ground in front of Kaiba.

BLUE EYES ULTIMATE DRAGON  
Light/Dragon/12/4500 ATK/3800 DEF

"Blue Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue Eyes White Dragon" + "Blue Eyes White Dragon"

Kaiba smiled as he said "And I am not done there... now! I will sacrifice Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to make another Special Summon!"

Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon's body began to crack, then it exploded and in its' place was a Blue Eyes White Dragon which had a metallic base... a blue orb in the center of its' body, along on its' wings as it landed down in front of Kaiba. Mark looked on, his eyes widened as he said "Wh-what is that card!?!"

"Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, fool. This is the strongest form the Blue Eyes can take. And here is why. For every Dragon-Type Monster Card that exists in my Graveyard, its' ATK shoots up by 300 points for each one. And I have 5 in there! My 3 Blue Eyes White Dragons, my Kaiser Glider, and my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon! So that means Blue Eyes Shining Dragon gains 1500 points!"

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon's ATK shot up, just as Kaiba had said, by 1500 points, going to 4500, as strong as the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Kaiba then smiled as he held up another card. "Equip Magic Card! Dragon Treasure!"

DRAGON TREASURE

Equip Magic Card

Effect: A Dragon-Type Monster equipped with this cards increases its' ATK and DEF by 300 points.

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon's body began to glow, as it was raised to 4800 points. Kaiba quickly thrusted his hand forward and said "Blue Eyes Shining Dragon! Attack Soul Hunter!" Blue Eyes Shining Dragon's mouth began to glow a sparkling whitish-blue as Kaiba then said "Shining Burst!"

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon then shot a fireball of energy right at Soul Hunter, destroying it in one blow as the clown on the back of the dragon cackled as it exploded into nothing. Kaiba smiled, as Mark cried out some, his LP dropping by 3100 as he said "Damn..."

Kaiba smiled as he said "I will next set 2 cards face-down... to end my turn."

"Very well." Mark replied, drawing his next card as he said "I will now set one Monster face-down, then set one card face-down. And thus... I end my turn."

Kaiba looked on and said "This Duel is going to be over soon, Mark. My Blue Eyes Shining Dragon is at quite a level of power now. So I believe I shall put you out of your misery!" He drew his next card then tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Trap Card, activate! DRAGON RAGE!"

DRAGON RAGE (English name: Dragon's Rage)

Continuous Trap Card

Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, when Dragon-Type Monsters on your side of the Field attack with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monsters, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your Life Points.

"I am sure a smart person like you is aware of Dragon Rage's effect, Mark. As of now, my Dragon gains the power of Trample, meaning if your Monster's DEF is weaker than its' ATK, and I am sure it is... it will easily blow a big chunk of your Life Points away, and I will win this Duel. Now! Blue Eyes Shining Dragon!" Blue Eyes Shining's mouth began to sparkle once again as Mark smirked and said "Quickplay Magic Card! Cyclone! Target and destroy Dragon Rage!"

A blast of wind wrapped around Dragon Rage, then shattered it into pieces, but BESD's attack continued as it shot an attack right at Mark's face-down Monster, which exploded and was revealed to be Cyber Pod! A mechanical-looking pod or jar of some kind with a green cybernetic optic feed in the center, with an orange border and a hazard marker appeared, then Mark said "I bet you also know Cyber Pod's effect, Kaiba-san. You attacked it, and thus you get it as well as I!"

Cyber Pod's optic sensor began to glow, then shot a laser, smashing right through Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, and Kaiba couldn't negate it since the effect wasn't a targetted effect. It affected all Monsters on the Field. Blue Eyes Shining Dragon then exploded as Cyber Pod shattered also.

CYBER POD (English name: Cyber Jar)

Dark/Rock/3/900 ATK/900 DEF

Effect: Flip: Destroy all Monsters on the Field. Both players then pick up 5 cards from the tops of their respective Decks and Special Summon all Level 4 or lower Monster Cards among them on the Field in face-up Attack Mode or face-down Defense Mode. The rest of the cards picked up are added to their respective hands.

Kaiba and Mark both picked up 5 cards as Mark smiled and said "Out of my Level 4 or lower Monsters, I got just 2. I'll set these two Monsters face-down."

"Very well." Kaiba added on. "Then I shall Special Summon these Monsters! Come out! Element Dragon! Twin-Headed Behemoth! Masked Dragon!"

In flashs of light on his side of the Field, Kaiba had all sorts of Dragons on the Field. The first one Special Summoned, Element Dragon, had a small baby-like face, with orange hair around its' neck, two yellow horns, an underbelly of the same color, long wings and a long tail, with a soft light peach for its' scales, and blue eyes appeared, smiling.

ELEMENT DRAGON

Light/Dragon/4/1500 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: This Monster gets the following effect(s) while there is a Monster(s) with the following Attribute(s) on the Field:

-FIRE: Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points.

-WIND: If this card destroyed one of your opponent's Monsters as a result of Battle, it can attack once again in a row.

The second Special Summoned Monster had purple scales, with black spikes along its' shoulders, shorter wings than Element Dragon, with yellow under its' arms, which where its' hands were heads! The first head on the left side had blue eyes and a blue mouth and horn, the second one had red eyes, a red horn, and a red mouth, along with black and yellow armor along its' sides, ankles, and down its' waist.

TWIN-HEADED BEHEMOTH

Wind/Dragon/3/1500 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: If this Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, this Monster is Special Summoned with an ATK and DEF of 1000 points during the End Phase of the turn. This effect can be used only once during the current Duel.

And the last Dragon had white for much of its' body, save for red along its' under belly and face, its' face looking like a mask, with a toothy grin, its' tail on the ground, its' wings folded. Kaiba was also known for his Dragons besides his Blue Eyes White Dragons, and thus, Mark would see it.

MASKED DRAGON

Fire/Dragon/3/1400 ATK/1100 DEF

Effect: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, you can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster with an ATK of 1500 points or less to your side of the Field from your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck.

Kaiba smiled, as his Element Dragon's ATK went up to 2000 points due to there being a Fire Attribute Monster on the Field thanks to Masked Dragon. He then said "Element Dragon, attack Mark's face-down Monster on the left!" Element Dragon spreaded its' wings and shot at Mark's set card, shooting a blast of light from its' mouth, destroying Mark's Monster, whom was a young girl, with blue robes over her body, her arms and legs in red robes, with brown boots, her magenta hair tied into a ponytail and she had a yellow sash around her waist, with a staff in her hand with a crescent moon-shape on the top. Her staff began to glow just before she exploded.

Kaiba looked on and said "Magician of Faith..."  
"Correct, Kaiba-san. And with her Flip Effect, I can add 1 Magic Card from my Graveyard to my hand once more." A face-down card slid out of Mark's Graveyard slot and he added it to his hand, smiling.

MAGICIAN OF FAITH

Light/Spellcaster/1/300 ATK/400 DEF

Effect: Flip: Select 1 Magic Card from your Graveyard and return it to your hand.

"Hmph! It won't matter since Element Dragon can attack again due to there being a Wind Attribute Monster on my side of the Field and its' second effect kicks in! Element Dragon! Attack Mark's second face-down Monster!" Element Dragon charged once more as Kaiba this time called out the name of its attack. "Burst of Light!!" Element Dragon then shot its attack at the second card Mark had on the Field, and it exploded, revealing a second Magician of Faith as Mark smiled and said "Thank you."

Another card slid out of his Graveyard and he added it to his hand, smiling.

"Damn. But that doesn't mean I can't attack you directly! Twin-Headed Behemoth! Masked Dragon! Double Direct Attack!" Both of Kaiba's remaining Dragons shot a combined stream of fire right at Mark, who took the attack, his Life Points dropping to 100 Life Points as he still remained calm.

"Ha ha ha ha haa!! It seems the mighty have fallen, Mark! What will you do now!? Your Life Points are at 100 points, and you can't risk destroying my Dragons in Battle! So now... I end my turn!"

Mark smiled. "You would think that, wouldn't you? My turn." Mark drew his next card, and showed Fusion Gate, and said "I will play Fusion Gate once more!"

Mark's Field Magic Card slot opened as he slid Fusion Gate back into it, smiling as he had other Monsters from earlier, but for now... he needed a new strategy as he said "Very well. I will set a Monster down, then I shall play the Magic Card, Double Spell!"

Kaiba's eye shrunk at Mark's play, as he remembered the card being used by Yugi's other self, Atem, to defeat him in the Battle City Semi-Finals... even if its' effect had been modified, it brought that memory of his old rival back!

DOUBLE SPELL  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Discard 1 Magic Card in your hand. Select 1 Magic Card from your opponent's Graveyard and activate it from the Graveyard as your Magic Card.

"I will take this Magic Card I had in my hand..." Mark quickly took a card from his hand and slid it into his Graveyard as he said "And now I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, from your Graveyard thanks to Double Spell!" Quickly Mark drew 2 cards as he smiled and said "Now... the fun begins. I will send Feral Imp and Snakeyashi from my hand and remove them from play, thanks to Fusion Gate's effect!"

With that call, Mark's two Fusion-Material Monsters appeared. One, Feral Imp, had green fur, black eyes, small wings, and a pink horn, spikes on its wings, elbows, and claws as it roared.

FERAL IMP  
Dark/Demon/4/1300 ATK/1400 DEF

The second Monster, Snakeyashi, appeared to be a palm tree, with a face and two iris-less eyes, with a snake like formation. The leaves it had were red, and parts of its' skin/bark was a light orange brown as it hissed.

SNAKEYASHI

Earth/Plant/4/1000 ATK/1200 DEF

They then began to flash as one and in their place was a large red rose with green vines and thorns around it, the petals closed. Kaiba blinked and said "Getting desperate, are we? I mean, your Rose is noteworthy, but surely, you cannot be serious."

"Oh, but I am. This is yet another Fusion of mine. Kaiba-san, meet the Rose Spectre of Dunn!" The petals of the rose then opened as a young woman, greenish skin and black and greenish hair, yellow eyes, blood red lips and the same kind of colors covering her upper body below her neck appeared, smiling devilishly.

ROSE SPECTRE OF DUNN

Dark/Plant-Fusion/6/2000 ATK/1800 DEF

"Feral Imp" + "Snakeyashi"

"And since it is a Level 6... I will now play Fusion Weapon again!" Suddenly, Fusion Weapon had infused into Rose Spectre of Dunn's right arm, as it crackled, raising her ATK and DEF to 3500 points and 3300 points. "Rose Spectre of Dunn is strong, but it'd be bad if I attacked your Monsters. So next up... I will play the Magic Card, Dark Core!"

DARK CORE  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to remove 1 face-up Monster Card on the Field from play.

"And... the target of my Dark Core... will be Masked Dragon!" Suddenly, a sparking black orb of energy wrapped around Masked Dragon, sucking it into the sphere's range, then the sphere itself was gone... with Masked Dragon included! Kaiba knew Dark Core's effect well since he ran it in his Deck as Mark then said "And now... even if Twin-Headed Behemoth will come back, Rose Spectre of Dunn's ATK is enough to drop your Life Points to 400 points! Now! Rose Spectre, attack Twin-Headed Behemoth with Fusion Weapon Blast!"

Rose Spectre of Dunn targetted Twin-Headed Behemoth then charged up, and fired right at Twin-Headed Behemoth, destroying it with one shot, its' 3500 ATK plowing through Twin-Headed Behemoth's ATK of 1500 and it dropped Kaiba's LP to 400 points as Mark then said "And I will end my turn now!"

"Which means I shall return Twin-Headed Behemoth to the Field!" Twin-Headed Behemoth appeared onto the Field, in Attack Mode as Mark blinked. "Attack Mode? You must be suicidal."

"No. I can feel I will win this Duel in my next draw, Mark." Kaiba had said, clenching his cards.

Mark smiled and said "Well, you must be going crazy if you think it is possible you can draw a card that will allow you to beat me... but you can try. I have had fun in this Duel, Kaiba-san, but it is over..."

Kaiba looked at his Deck, closing his eyes as he said "Please... give me what I need..." Kaiba slowly drew his next card, eyes still closed as he then opened them and saw he had indeed drawn something that would help him win this Duel. He smiled and said "I got a perfect card to win this Duel, like I said. I play the Magic Card, Dragon's Gunfire!"

Mark's eyes widened as he said "No way!!"

DRAGON'S GUNFIRE

Normal Magic Card

Effect: You can activate this card only when you have a face-up Dragon-Type Monster on your side of the Field. Select and activate 1 of the following effects:

-Inflict 800 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

-Destroy 1 face-up Monster with a DEF of 800 points or less.

"And I will use Dragon's Gunfire's first effect! Twin-Headed Behemoth, use it! Fireball Strike!" Twin-Headed Behemoth's mouths began to burst with a stream of fire as they shot it right at Mark who cried out, his LP dropped to 0 as his minions looked on in shock as Kaiba said "And that is game."

Mark stood there, panting as he said "I will keep my promise, Kaiba-san. We are people of our word, unlike the GHOULS. You two! Let him go!"

Mark's minions, despite the expressions on their faces, let go of Mokuba, as well as untying and ungagging him. Mark then pulled a disk from his coat and threw it to Kaiba. Kaiba caught it as he said "Thank you..."

"You're welcome. But trust us... there will be others... we are strongest in Japan, to where we have begun to really move... and if you want answers, I am sure Yugi Mutoh can tell you a bit of what he knows from one of us. Good day to you." Mark pushed his glasses up then he dropped down a smoke grenade as he and his minions disappeared.

Mokuba came rushing up to Kaiba's side as he said "Big brother... what is going on?"  
"I don't know, Mokuba, but I am going to get some answers... tell the technicians to prepare the Blue Eyes White Dragon Jet. We're going back to Japan... to see Yugi Mutoh and see what he knows about these 'Card Hunters' and what they want exactly."

Mark walked into a room, and then said "Miss... I failed to obtain Seto Kaiba's Deck... but... never trick a genius so easily. I got another possible target to consider... if you do not mind."

On a TV monitor, a young woman with black hair tied back and with a dark blue skirt, black pantyhose, blue high heels, and a similar colored top smiled, saying "I think I know whom you refer to, Mark. But I shall let someone else deal with Pegasus. You did well against Kaiba though, and made our presence known to him. And that is good to know."

"Thank you, Ms. Sarah."

Sarah smiled as she closed the communication, leaning back in her chair as she said "Soon, very soon, once we have all we need, we can truly begin to make this a more exciting game. Death, mayhem, anarchy. That is what will make Duel Monsters a more satisifying game than any the world has ever known." She then began to laugh, a devilish tone to her laugh, as she knew.. her plans were coming to pass soon..

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Episode 5 - A Duel Of Hearts

The whole group; Yugi, Taro, Joey, Téa, Tristan, Duke, and Bakura were all sitting outside on the rooftop of Domino High as Yugi looked at a cloud, and point to it. "Hey, check it out! That cloud looks like a mushroom!"

"Uhm, OK, am I the only one who can't really see it?" Taro added, scratching his head.  
Duke chuckled and smiled, leaning back. "Well, maybe you don't have the imagination for cloudwatching, Taro. That's gotta explain how come you aren't seeing the mushroom when the rest of us can."

"Well, when I look at it, it looks more like a UFO over a building, doin' who knows what!" Joey replied, laughing some. Tristan then sighed, patting his friend's head. "Yeesh, simple as you can be, eh, Joe old buddy?"

"What's wrong with that?" Joey replied. Téa pointed quickly to another cloud and said "That one looks like a train if you ask me."

Bakura nodded, smiling as he said "I see it too, Téa." Soon enough, everyone heard a sound at the door nearby and turned to it to see Melody was there. Taro and Duke both shout up, their eyes having hearts in them, both speaking at the same time "Melody!"

As Taro was about to walk to her, Duke landed on him and said "Maybe little boys should back off when it comes to talking to women. Excuse me." He walked over towards Melody as Taro shouted "HEY!!! No fair usin' your big ol' butt to pin me down, dice boy!"

Bakura sighed some as he scratched his head. "I can tell that this will be a regular thing with Taro and Duke, won't it, Yugi?"  
"You and me both, Bakura. You and me both..." Yugi replied as Taro stood up, dusting his school uniform off. Duke was however over to Melody, taking her hands in his own as he said "Well, it is just good to see you, Melody-chan. What brings you here? Did you just come to see meeee?!" Duke suddenly was jerked away from Melody by Téa, who had grabbed Duke's ear, saying "I think what she needs is just for you to back off of her, playboy."

"So cruel!" Duke replied, fake crying as Joey, Tristan, and Taro laughed heartily but then Yugi got serious and said "What did exactly bring you up to the roof, Melody? And... how'd you know we'd be here?

Melody smiled and simply said "I was told by one of the others. And the reason I came here was I wanted to ask something of Taro. If that's alright."

Taro blushed at that, blinking. "Me...?"

Nodding, Melody walked over to her and said "I... I would like you to teach me how to play Duel Monsters, Taro."  
Taro blinked and said "Teach you... to play Duel Monsters? Melody, are you so sure you want ME to do it!? Why don't you ask Yugi or Joey to do it? They got more experience than I do and..."

"I WANT it to be you, Taro. You showed such intensity and fire in your heart when you battled against Rumiko. You seem to be a perfect candidate to teach me the game. I want to learn the basic fundamentals from you, as well as have you help me build a Deck you feel will suit me." Melody looked at Taro, her hands held together. Taro blushed and said "OK, I can do that."

Melody smiled after hearing that and threw her arms around Taro, hugging him. "Oh, thank you! Do you think you can come by today after school to immediately help me with that?"

Taro nodded rapidly as he said "I, I can do that!"

Téa smiled as she still had Duke down, but this time by his collar to make sure he didn't kill Taro because of the attention he was getting from Melody. "You should be a great teacher to give Melody the basic fundamentals of the game, Taro."

"I agree. Especially if you remember all Grandpa taught us, as well as changes to the game in the last few times."

Taro gave a thumbs up as he said "You know it, Yugi!"

Joey looked at the clouds still, with Tristan and Bakura looking at him, with Tristan saying "Hey, Joey, you OK, man?"

"I dunno, Tristan... I just feel... a little empty right now."

Bakura looked at him and said "Thinking about someone, Joey?"

"Yeah..." Joey replied, a bit of sadness in his voice.

In another part of Domino City though, a young woman with blonde hair, part of it, the lowest portions tied off by a purple bandana, a white tank top which showed a bit of cleavage, along with a purple vest of it, a similar colored skirt, which was over the upper thigh area some, with purple high-heeled boots, which went past her knees, and the same kind of color for her eyes, with hooped earrings and a large backpack as she walked down the streets, and looked at her bare hands.

This young woman was Mai Valentine, a friend to Yugi and the others. She had thought she completely overcame her regret for her past mistakes, for fighting with a group known as DOMA, whom used a powerful Field Magic Card called The Seal of Orichalcos. She had vulernabilities because of the famed Battle City tournament, where in the quarter finals, she had suffered a battle with the darker side of Marik Ishtar, a friend and ally to Yugi. She had fears of losing, and in the end, sided with Doma. Her last battle as their agent had her facing Joey... but he had been hurt battling Valon, another agent of DOMA's, and when she thought she could beat him, which was her desire for siding with DOMA, she couldn't bring herself to finish him, and in the end, he lost his soul, having told Mai he enjoyed their Duel, and she learned that despite the fact that she had won the Duel... she didn't gain a thing out of that bitter victory. She had fought many times after that, her heart feeling much joy due to the friends she had made, and realizing that something Joey told her, about not needing DOMA to be strong, was true... but coming back to Domino City, she was fearful about her true agenda... to see Yugi and the others again, especially Joey.

She exhaled, a bit nervous, but shook herself off as she began to walk around the city, asking people if they knew where Yugi Mutoh lived. But meanwhile...

Yugi was sitting in a buttoned up grey shirt and purple pants as he watched Taro in the game shop itself, as he began to get several cards he knew their grandpa had gathered, and placed them into a box he had acquired. Taro himself pulled on his black shirt, his long blue coat on as he said "Hey, Yugi! You know where Grandpa has any other cards? I got quite a few besides my own Deck to take with me to Melody's!"

Yugi chuckled some, having sitten down, his arms behind his head, a grin coming onto his face as he said "Well, you could ask him yourself, but I dunno.. I mean I got some of mine, but, there's gotta be a price!"

"C'mon!! You're gonna make me pay!?" Taro groaned, but soon, the boys heard the chuckles of their grandfather as he said "Taro, you know Yugi is just kidding of course. There is no need to be melodramatic. But there must be such a good reason why you are needing this many Duel Monsters cards."

"It's for a girl who wanted me to teach her how to play the game. She's really, really cute, and well, I wanna guarantee a successful..." Soon, Solomon grabbed Taro by his neck playfully and said "So, my youngest grandson has a sweetheart, eh? This is great news! Perhaps if Yugi hooked up with Téa, then I could be a great-grandfather before I die!"

Yugi and Taro both blushed furiously and at the same time pushed their hands into different cheeks on their grandfather's face and said "GRANDPA DON'T KID LIKE THAT!!"

Solomon laughed jovalially until he, Yugi, and Taro all heard a knock at the door. The door opened slowly, and there stood Joey, with a green jacket, white shirt underneath it, blue jeans, and black and white sneakers, also having a bag slinged over his right shoulder, smiling. "Hey, guys."

"Joey. What's brought you over? To visit?" Yugi asked as Taro then grabbed his own bag, and closed it.

"Well, kinda, Yugi. I just was seeing if we can manage to get some homework done. I need a big distraction 'cause I just can't get my mind off this thing that's been buggin' me for a while now... I dunno what it is but.."

Yugi nodded. Taro then patted Yugi's shoulder and said "Good luck with that 'distraction' for Joey, Yuge! I'm outtie! Later, Grandpa! I'll probably be a little late, just in case!!" Taro then bolted past Joey as Joey laughed. "Man, he must be stoked to be going to Melody's to help her out. That sure was a surprise today. Does this mean today is gonna be full..." A knock interrupted Joey's sentence as he, Yugi, and Solomon turned to the door, and when they saw whom was standing in the doorway, Joey finished up with what he was going to say "of surprises..."

Mai stood there, just looking at the trio as she smiled weakly and said "Hey, guys. What? No welcome mat for an old friend?"  
"Mai! What a surprise to see you here. When did you get into town?" Yugi had asked, walking over to her. Mai smiled, patting Yugi's shoulder as she said "I had gotten here just a few hours ago.. it's really good to see you guys.." She looked at Joey and then looked down some. Joey looked at Mai and said "Hey, Mai, you OK?"  
Mai stood there, shaking a bit as she then turned and smiled a bit, even if Joey could tell it was a fake smile, replying "Yeah. Why would you think otherwise?"

Solomon knew somehow that Yugi and Joey might have wanted some time with Mai, so he turned and said "I will get some beverages, everyone... excuse me." He then walked up the stairs, smiling. Joey looked at Mai and said "Mai, if you are still upset about our last Duel, I mean..."

Mai exhaled, still having that smile on her face as she said, a bit of a hesitance in her tone. "I do admit it hurt me a lot, Joey. Sometimes, it is one thing that has come to haunt me a bit in my dreams, more than what Malik Ishtar did to me. I... I feel like I have a good side and a dark side now, and I had come here to get some answers..."

Joey looked at her and said "Well... if you want to make that dream stop... let me take you on in a Duel, Mai."

Mai heard that and looked up, blinking. "You would do that? Even for someone who had fallen so far, just because of her vulernabilities and weakness?"  
"Yeah." Joey smiled. "And because I care a lot about you to do this for you. Besides, I think it'd be fun to take you on again, to see what your Deck has changed."

Mai looked at Joey and said "Let''s go for it." A weak smile on her face at that.

Soon, outside of the Kame Game Shop, both Joey and Mai had Duel Disks on, their Decks in their free hands as Joey spoke up. "Hey, Mai! What are we gonna play for in terms of LP?"  
"Can we do 4000 Life Points?" Mai replied. Joey nodded and said "You got it."

Both Duelists then placed their Decks into their Duel Disks, with Yugi looking on, as he said "Ready, you guys?"

Mai and Joey both nodded then said "Yeah!", having drawn their 5 cards. Both looked at one another, with somewhat of an intensity. Yugi smiled as he said "Alright! Then Duel!"

"I will get us started then. Draw!" Mai drew her sixth card as she looked at her hand of cards, her right hand shaking some. She was feeling scared some of facing Joey again, not because she might lose, but because she wondered if he was deep down mad at her for siding with Doma. She shook it off and said "I'll set one card face-down, then I summon Harpie Lady 1 in Attack Mode!"

Mai's summon caused a young girl with long reddish-pink hair to appear on the Field. She also had light green wings which were linked to her wrists, dark blue feathers along her hips, as well as dark blue wrapped around her legs with purple abover the upper area of her legs, with black up her chest, over her exposed breasts, covering her nipples as she slashed the air. Joey blinked as he said "Huh? Looks like one of your original Harpie Ladies, Mai."  
"This one is new actually, hon. You'll be surprised by the effects of these new Harpie Lady cards."

HARPIE LADY 1

Wind/Bird/4/1300 ATK/1400 DEF  
Effect: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady". As long as this card remains on the Field, increase the ATK of all WIND Monsters by 300 points.

Soon, Harpie Lady 1's body began to glow, as her ATK shot up from 1300 to 1600 as Joey said "Hey, what the heck just happened!? How'd your Harpie's ATK shoot up like that!?"

"This is Harpie Lady 1's effect. She increases the ATK of all WIND Attribute Monsters on the Field by 300 points, including herself. So I have a pretty good head start so far. So, as of now, I end my turn. Besides, to let you know, I have changed my Harpies around. Normal to Harpie Lady SB to my new Harpie Lady additions. Let's see how you hold up against these new ones."

"You got it. My turn then. Draw!" Joey drew his sixth card, examining his hand, wondering what he could do as his own lead off move to match up to what Mai had done as her lead off. He looked on and said "I will now summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a black and white armored warrior appeared on Joey's side of the Field, slashing the air with a sword where his left arm would be, as well as a shield where his right arm was. This warrior was legendary in another form. This form was to surpress his great power.

GEARFRIED THE IRON KNIGHT

Earth/Warrior/4/1800 ATK/1600 DEF  
Effect: Any Equip Cards equipped to this card are immediately destroyed.

Joey then took another card from his hand and said "I will now set a card down! Gearfried, attack Mai's Harpie Lady 1!" Gearfried pulled his legs back, squatting some then pushed himself forward, blasting forward at his target. But Mai looked on and said "Trap Card, activate! Mirror Wall!"

With a flash, a barrier of glass appeared around Mai's Harpie Lady 1, blocking Gearfried's ATK, as Gearfried cried out, gritting his teeth, his ATK dropped from 1800 to 900.

MIRROR WALL

Permanent Trap Card  
Effect: Decrease the ATK of all of your opponent's Monsters that attack by half as long as this card is face-up on the Field. You must pay 2000 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases. If you cannot, this card is destroyed.

Mai then smiled as she said "Harpie Lady 1, since Gearfried's attack is lower than that of yours... take him down!" Harpie Lady 1 charged at Gearfried the Iron Knight and slashed across his chest, causing him to cry out as he exploded.

Joey's Life Points were then dropped to 3300 Life Points. But he smiled softly as Mai said "Not a bad strategy, but I guess it is almost like it was for us the last time we've met."

"Yeah, I know that, Mai, but not that I mind. I will just end my turn if that's cool with you." He smiled as Mai blinked. She then said "Alright. My turn." Mai slowly drew her next card and cooly, examining it, as she saw her hand had some potential in it.

She then stopped a moment and said "Hey, Joey... I..."

"Mai. I have only one thing to say right now." Joey smiled warmly and said "Just relax and let your heart decide the cards you want to play, and if the answers you want are here for you. I just want you to have fun with a Duel. Winning and losing are OK, but it's better I think to have fun. That's how Yugi sees Duels as."

Yugi nodded then spoke aloud. "It's very true, Mai. That's how I feel."

Mai looked over at her friends, then said "I'll try. Because I want to know the answers to the questions I see... but now. I will not pay Life Points to keep Mirror Wall in play so it's destroyed." The mirror-like barrier around Harpie Lady 1 shattered quickly as Mai then set another card face-down "And after setting a card face-down, I will play Harpie Lady 2 in Attack Mode also!"

Next to Mai's Harpie Lady 1, a similiar Harpie Lady appeared, with short orange hair as she slashed the air with her talons and smiled.

HARPIE LADY 2

Wind/Bird/4/1300 ATK/1400 DEF

Effect: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady". Negate the effects of any Flip Effect Monsters that are destroyed by this Monster as a result of Battle.

"Harpie Lady 1. Direct Attack!" Mai said, with her Harpie Lady 1 zooming right at Joey who then said "I activate my set card! Scapegoat!"

With a flash of light, four Sheep Tokens appeared on the Field, as Mai's Harpie Lady 1 slashed the red Scapegoat right in half, destroying it, but luckily, Joey's Life Points were protected. Mai smiled a bit and replied "Well. Now that I should have seen coming also. I guess my game is a little off..."  
Joey looked at her and smiled. "But I am enjoying myself. Are you?"  
Mai nodded softly, and said "I will now go to Main Phase 2. Set 1 card again, and end my turn."

Joey nodded and said "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card and saw he had drawn one of his best cards, Red Eyes Black Dragon... a card that meant a lot to him too.

RED EYES BLACK DRAGON

Dark/Dragon/7/2400 ATK/2000 DEF

He smiled softly as he looked at his other choices of cards and said "Bingo. I will start by offering my Blue Scapegoat Sheep Token as a Sacrifice to activate this Magic Card from my hand. Activate... Star Blaster!"

STAR BLASTER

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Sacrifice 1 Monster on your side of the Field to activate this card. Roll 1 six-sided dice. If you have a Monster in your hand whose Star Level equals to the Star Level of the Sacrifice Monster and the result of the dice roll, you can Special Summon that Monster. If you do not have such a Monster in your hand, your turn immediately ends.

Joey and Mai looked on as a small cute looking hybrid of an angel and a demon appeared, holding a red dice in its' hands as it flicked it into the air. Joey then began to explain "The effect of Star Blaster is pretty interesting. When I sacrifice a Monster to use its' effect, I get to roll a six-sided dice. And whatever result my die lands on, I add that to the Level of the Sacrificed Monster, then I get to Special Summon a Monster whose Level is equal to the result!" The red die began to spin on its' corner slowly, then landed down onto 6 as Joey snapped his fingers and whooped with joy. "Boo-yah! That's 7 total! I now will Special Summon forth Red Eyes Black Dragon!!"

Joey slapped one of his favorite cards carefully onto his Duel Disk as a jet black dragon with red glowing eyes appear, spreading out its' black wings, its' whole body having protruding areas over it, with the appearance much like bone at times. Red Eyes roared as it floated in mid-air and landed down next to Joey's remaining 2 Sheep Tokens. Joey then took one card from his hand and said "OK, to continue with the fun, I summon Panther Warrior in Attack Mode as my Normal Summon!"

The blackish-purple furred Panther Warrior took to the Field, slashing the air with his sharp scimitar as Joey said "First things first, I'll have Panther Warrior attack, so I sacrifice 1 Sheep Token to do so!"

In a flash of light, Joey's pink Sheep Token disappeared, a blue glow overcoming Panther Warrior's sword as Joey said "Now, Panther Warrior! Attack Harpie Lady 2!"

Panther Warrior charged forward and slashed Harpie Lady 2 right along the chest in an angle, destroying her, and dropping Mai's Life Points to 3600, which would have been worse had she not had Harpie Lady 1 on the Field.

"And I am not done with the fun yet, Mai! Red Eyes Black Dragon! Attack Harpie Lady 1!"

"No way, Joey! Trap Card, Negate Attack! As you might know, Negate Attack stops the attack of one of my opponent's Monsters and ends their Battle Phase immediately too. Tough break, but you had a good move going there, Joey."

Joey exhaled and said "Well, them's the breaks. I'll get it next time. I got just two cards in my hand right now, so I think I will just end with that."

Mai nodded as she said "My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her next card, and saw she had her best Harpie Lady themed Magic Card, but stood in shock when she had drawn it... it was a card she didn't want to use yet... not when she knew if was a powerful and dangerous Magic Card...

HARPIE LADY - HOUOU FORMATION (English Name: Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation)

Normal Magic Card

Effect: When this card is activated, destroy a number of your opponent's Monsters equal to the number of "Harpie Lady" on your side of the Field, then inflict Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the total ATK of all Monsters destroyed by this card's effect. During the turn this card is activated, Monsters with "Harpie" in their card name cannot attack.

She stood there, shaking, biting her lower lip as she trembled. Joey saw this and said "Mai..?"  
"I won't play this card! Not against you! Not yet!! So instead, I play Pot of Greed!" Mai then drew 2 cards quickly, sending Pot of Greed to the Graveyard after its' use, and continued with her turn by saying "Now I will play... I will play... I... Joey, what I need to know is how can you still consider someone like me your friend!? I was a monster when I was with Doma! But the hardest lesson was when you lost your soul..." Tears began to roll down Mai's cheeks, hitting the ground as she shook. "I learned even if I win, I get nothing out of something like that... like the way I wanted to win when I faced you both times when I was with Doma... how come you don't hate me..."

Joey looked at Mai and said "Because you are my friend, Mai. I couldn't hate someone who is my friend, even if he or she made some bad mistakes. I also did make some bad mistakes, Mai. Like making you feel unappreciative when deep down... I am glad we met. I really am glad."

Mai looked at the ground, feeling those words hit her heart, giving her confidence as she looked up and smiled. "Thank you... but for now, I will not play the card I had. I will play a more... favorable card for the situation. First... I will need Elegant Egotist's effect!"

Joey knew this Magic Card Mai played, as Yugi looked on silently, arms at his sides. Yugi also knew of Elegant Egotist, which allowed Mai when it was activated with a Harpie Lady in play to Special Summon another one from her hand or Deck, or even the infamous Harpue Lady Sisters. But... what did Mai have planned?

ELEGANT EGOTIST  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: You can only activate this card when there are 1 or more "Harpie Lady" on the Field. Special Summon 1 "Harpie Lady" or "Harpie Lady Sisters" from your hand or Deck to your side of the Field.

A flash of light surrounded Mai's Harpie Lady, and then, she took a card from her Deck and showed it to Joey, saying "With the help of Harpie Lady 1 and Elegant Egotist, I now will Special Summon Harpie Lady Sisters from my Deck to my side of the Field!"

In a flash, 3 Harpie Ladies floated next to Harpie Lady 1, all in golden armor that appeared to be like bondage material. The lead Harpie Lady looked like Harpie Lady 1, and another like Harpie Lady 2, with the third one having spikey blue hair, that stood up quite a bit. They all slashed the air, striking a pose at the same time!

HARPIE LADY SISTERS  
Wind/Bird/6/1950 ATK/2100 DEF  
Effect: This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only first be Special Summoned by the effect of "Elegant Egotist".

The 3 Harpie Lady Sisters soon began to glow, their ATK shooting up from 1950 points to 2250 points thanks to Harpie Lady 1's effect. Mai smiled as she then pointed at her other set card and said "Now... I play Triangle Ecstasy Spark, another new addition to my reborn Neo Harpie Lady Deck!"

A spark of electricity wrapped around the Harpie Lady Sisters, charging them up, their ATK going to 2700 points now, as Joey blinked, wondering what was going on.

TRIANGLE ECSTASY SPARK

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Until the End Phase of this turn, the ATK of all "Harpie Lady Sisters" becomes 2700 points, your opponent cannot activate any Trap Cards, and the effect of every Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field is negated.

Yugi looked on and thought to himself 'Whoa, these new combos of Mai's are impressive! She's managed to regain some of the confidence she had when we've seen her Duel, but she also is keeping a clear head, AND managing also to focus enough to combo her cards cleverly! Joey's gotta use the right combos also to counter this. I can just feel it's gonna be a close race.'

"Alright, my lovely pumped up Harpie Lady Sisters! Attack Panther Warrior!" The Harpie Lady Sisters all formed into a triangle, with the pinkish-red haired Harpie Lady in the left hand corner, the orange-haired Harpie Lady in the right hand corner, and the blue haired Harpie Lady at the top, all of them placing their hand talons in the center of the triangle, a charge forming as Mai said "Triangle Ecstasy Spark attack!"

A blast shaped like a giant X appeared and shot at Panther Warrior, smashing it hard, and destroying it as it roared out before it exploded, causing Joey to cover his body with his arms as Yugi whistled. Joey's Life Points then dropped down from 3300 to 2600 as Mai then said "I will now end my turn, since Harpie Lady 1 is still too small in the ATK department to deal with your Red Eyes Black Dragon."

"OK. Now it's my turn." Drawing a card, then twisting it, the back to Mai and the face to himself, Joey examined his drawn card. He nodded and said to himself 'Lucky break. Mai's got 2 Monsters, but I can't use The Fiend Megacyber's effect since she's got just 1 more Monster than me, not 2. Man, this bites! But I got another idea what to do... if what Mai said is true...'

THE FIEND MEGACYBER  
Dark/Warrior/6/2200 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: If your opponent has 2 or more Monsters on his/her side of the Field than you do, you can Special Summon this card without offering any Sacrifices.

"Alright, Mai! I summon Little Winguard in Attack Mode!"

Appearing on Joey's side of the Field next to Red Eyes was a small little warrior, with no visible face, just a blackened area under its' teal-armor lined blue cap with small yellow eyes appearing. A teal shield with the same color of anklets, check armor, gloves, and waist-lined armor was with this small Monster, in its' right hand as well as a blue cape, pants, and boots like the cape. In its' left hand, it had a small sword.

LITTLE WINGUARD  
Wind/Warrior/4/1400 ATK/1800 DEF  
Effect: During each of your End Phases, you can change the Battle Position of this card.

Little Winguard soon closed his small eyes, his body beginning to glow as his ATK went up from 1400 to 1700 as Mai said "Clever, clever move, Joey, using Harpie Lady 1's effect to your advantage. You always were good at that."

"Yeah, well, you live and learn as they say! Now, Little Winguard, attack Harpie Lady 1!" Little Winguard shot right at Harpie Lady 1 and slashed her in half, dropping Mai's Life Points by 100 points to 3500 points.

And since Harpie Lady Sisters's ATK dropped back to 1950, Joey then said "Red Eyes, continue the fun! Attack Harpie Lady Sisters!" Red Eyes pulled its' head back, its' mouth crackling as Joey added on the name of Red Eyes's attack. "Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red Eyes shot a red fireball right at Harpie Lady Sisters, smashing the trio hard, blasting them into ashes with its' attack, and dropping Mai's Life Points by 450 points, leaving Mai at 3050 Life Points, leaving it to be very close.

Mai covered her face from watching her Harpie Lady Sisters get destroyed and looked on at Joey and smiled, feeling a strong sense in her heart. She felt that this was the best feeling that she had felt in a long time. She placed her hand on her chest, above her heart, and smiled. "This must be what you feel whenever you've Dueled others, Joey... that sense that Valon spoke of, of something we didn't have, something I didn't have, until now. Just that sense of not wanting to give up and to understand one's opponent. I get it now, Joey. You have a strong passion for this game, even stronger perhaps than the other Yugi, since you do not let the outcome bother you at all!"

"Well, most of the time at least." Joey added, scratching his head as he blushed, a smile on his face. "But to continue my turn... I play the Permanent Magic Card, Heart of the Underdog!"

In a flash, the Heart of the Underdog Magic Card appeared on the Field, with a young man who looked a bit like Joey, only he had brown hair instead of blonde hair, and his hair was much longer. Plus he has red wristbands, blue jeans, and a white sleeveless shirt under a olive green jacket.

Yugi blinked in surprise and said "Heart of the Underdog...? Hey, Joey, what in all that is good and sound in this world made you put Heart of the Underdog in your Deck!?"

"Uhm, call it an epiphany, Yugi, my man. I mean, c'mon! Everyone laughed at me 'cause it reminded them of me 'cause of my being referred to sometimes as an underdog! And if you and Atem can use it well with that one kid's Dragon Deck, then what's to stop me from usin' it?!"

"Hmm. You got a good point there." Yugi said, then he chuckled. "OK, sorry to interrupt, guys."

Mai giggled and waved her hand. "It's quite alright, Yugi. Joey, are you almost done?"  
"Yup! I'll now officially end my turn, but I'll use Little Winguard's effect, and shift him to Defense Mode." Little Winguard soon kneeled down, his shield over his body some, his sword resting near the ground as Mai smiled and said "My turn." She drew a card, and looked at it. She knew she had some options. But she also noticed that she had one of her other new cards, one that wasn't Harpie Lady or Amazoness, but more of her elegant Bird collection. This Monster was a simple singluar sacrifice, but a wicked one at that; Roc from the Valley of Haze.

ROC FROM THE VALLEY OF HAZE

Wind/Bird/6/2400 ATK/1400 DEF  
Effect: When this card is sent directly from your hand to the Graveyard, add this card to your Deck, and shuffle it.

But then she saw that she had only 3 cards in her hand; Roc from the Valley of Haze, Harpie Lady Houou Formation, and lastly... she looked on and saw she had also drawn Coins from Heaven. She knew Joey's hand size at the moment was 1 card. She exhaled and said "Alright. I will do it... I play Coins from Heaven!"

In a flash of light, Mai then said "You know how this works, Joey. We both draw cards until we get a total of 6 cards in our hand."  
Both Mai and Joey drew their cards, as Joey drew 5 cards, and Mai drew 4.

Mai looked over her hand, and smiled as she took one card from her hand and played it. The Magic Card appearing on Mai's side of the Field had a card image of the upper right hand of a Monster Card, 2 of the Star Levels with swords through them. Joey knew what this card was. He blinked as he said "Cost Down?"  
"Yeah, and as you must know. I need to discard 1 card from my hand to make good use of this card. So..." Mai took Harpie Lady Houou Formation from her hand and thought to herself 'Another time, when I feel I am ready to play this card, I will...' She then slipped her chosen card into her Duel Disk's Graveyard slot.

COST DOWN  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand. Downgrade all Monster Cards in your hand by 2 Levels until the End Phase of the turn this card is activated.

Mai then took Roc from the Valley of Haze and said "I shall now play this Monster! But the problem was I had no cards to get it out at first, so... thusly.. now I play you, Roc from the Valley of Haze in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, a gigantic bird with large red wings appeared onto the Field. Its' body was covered with brown feathers. The monstrous bird also had large tails, what appeared to be thorns for tailfeathers, and a skeleton-like head with horns. It roared as it landed down on the ground.

"Whoa! WHAT IS THAT THING!?!?"

"Meet one of my pretty birds, Joey. This is Roc from the Valley of Haze. A most useful Monster both in battle, and without. Its' effect is if it gets discarded from my hand to the Graveyard, it's returned to my Deck and I shuffle my Deck. I felt calling it out was better than using it as a cost for Cost Down's effect. Now... that's 4 cards I have left. But I'm not done there. I will play this next card. The Equip Magic Card, Gust Fan!"

In a gust of wind, Roc from the Valley of Haze roared as a mark of a fan appeared on its' breast, a blast of wind wrapping around it, its' ATK raising up from 2400 to 2800, and its' DEF dropping from 1400 to 1200. In fact, Joey was well aware of Gust Fan's effect, since he had it in his Deck as well. He should have guessed Mai would have used it since her Harpie Ladies' Attributes were Wind. But the thought never crossed his mind... until now!

GUST FAN

Equip Magic Card

Effect: A WIND Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK by 400 points and decreases its' DEF by 200 points.

"Roc, attack Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The enormous Roc shot at Red Eyes Black Dragon, catching Joey off-guard as it then shot a supersonic wave of energy, blowing up the black-bone like Dragon to dust as Joey covered his body, his LP dropped to 2200. Mai then smiled as she said "Turn end."

Joey shook himself off, chuckling just a bit, taking it to a laugh as he smiled. "I'm glad to see the old side of you back in front of my eyes, Mai! I hated that side of you that was in Doma sometimes, the side of you that just was using the Seal of Orichalcos just because of your insecurity with your own skill. But you've gotta be seeing now that you don't need to worry! You're stronger than that!"

"I have seen that for myself. I don't need that kind of power anymore, and I guarantee you that I will not let what happened to me hold me back or down or even lead me to want power for some selfish reason! I will fight on with all my heart, win or lose."

Yugi smiled at his two friends as he watched them carry on the Duel. Joey smiled still as he said "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card and got a particularly interesting Magic Card... Release Restraint. He knew if he still had Gearfried the Iron Knight on the Field he could use it. But that is when he also noticed he had The Warrior Returning Alive! He took it from his hand and said "I now activate this Magic Card! The Warrior Returning Alive! With its' effect, I get to add 1 Warrior-Type Monster in my Graveyard to my hand!"

THE WARRIOR RETURNING ALIVE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Add 1 Warrior-Type Monster in your Graveyard to your hand.

Joey grabbed his chosen Warrior-Type Monster and said "I will next Normal Summon Gearfried the Iron Knight back in Attack Mode!"

Gearfried appeared again, slamming onto the ground, slashing the air with his sword. Joey looked at Mai and said "Maybe you didn't know this, Mai, but there's a story to Gearfried's armor. His strength was once so formidable that he left a wake of destruction in his path, and shook the earth itself by the very foundation. So, now, I'm gonna set him free! First up, Magic Card! Release Restraint!"

RELEASE RESTRAINT

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Offer 1 "Gearfried the Iron Knight" on your side of the Field as a Sacriifce. Special Summon 1 "Gearfried the Swordmaster" from your hand or Deck to your side of the Field.

Gearfried's armor began to shine brightly as he cried out, the armor exploding into dust! Mai blinked in shock as she said "You killed your own Monster!?"

"Nope. Just givin' him his true form. Show yourself, Gearfried the Iron Knight, show your true form as..." Joey then yanked a card from his Deck and smiled, showing it to Mai. "Gearfried the Swordmaster!" He then slapped his card of choice onto his Duel Disk.

And soon, Gearfried appeared, without his armor on. He had long black hair, a very large build, elfen-like ears, a kind of tape around his hands from his wrists, past his knuckles as well as an X shaped leather strap over his chest. Gearfried the Swordmaster also had brown boots on, a red loincloth with black briefs under it, a red diamond on the loincloth, a brown belt with a gold diamond on it as well. He then grabbed a sword, which landed near him, and pulled it out, holding it at his side in his left hand.

GEARFRIED THE SWORDMASTER

Light/Warrior/7/2600 ATK/2300 DEF  
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Release Restraint". Whenever an Equip Card is Equipped onto this card, destroy 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field.

Mai looked on as she said "There is a problem with your strategy though, Joey. You forget my Roc is at 2800 ATK thanks to Gust Fan."

"Actually, there's a very solid reason I chose to Special Summon Gearfried the Swordmaster from my Deck. His effect is gonna win me this Duel. But... before I do this, I just wanna say thanks."

"For what?"

"For what you did for me back at Duelist Kingdom, giving me your Glory of the King's Right Hand, Mai. I never really got to thank you properly for that. And also thanks for this Duel. I'm glad I could give you the answers you wanted."

Mai smiled as she said "Maybe sometime, we can Duel again... and I don't care if I win or lose. Just as long as I get to understand that passion you have.."

Yugi smiled also, glad to know that his faith in his friends was worth it. Even if Mai worked for Doma, he still believed deep down she had good in her heart, and knew that no person completely had evil in their hearts, and that was his true strength.

"Now! I play the Equip Magic Card, Fusion Sword Murasame Blade onto Gearfried the Swordmaster!" In a flash of light, Gearfried's sword was gone, replaced by a glowing katana of some kind. He held it in his hands, the sword ablaze with energy, his ATK going up from 2600 points to 3400 points. Joey had recently added Fusion Sword Murasame Blade into his Deck, but he knew it was a solid card since he ran a lot of Warrior-Type Monsters in his Deck.

FUSION SWORD - MURASAME BLADE

Equip Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be equipped to Warrior-Type Monsters. A Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK by 800 points. This card cannot be destroyed by effects that destroy Magic Cards.

Joey then continued as he said "And thanks to Gearfried the Swordmaster's effect, Mai, I'll destroy Roc from the Valley of Haze!" Gearfried slashed the air, creating a slicing motion which cut Roc from the Valley of Haze right in half, destroying it easily! Mai looked on and said "You didn't kid when you said Gearfried the Swordmaster was strong."

"Yeah. And now... " Joey hesitated for a moment, looking at Mai who just smiled, then nodded to him, letting him know it was alright for him to continue the Direct Attack, since she knew she was beaten.

"Gearfried the Swordmaster! Hit Mai with a Direct Attack!" Gearfried heard Joey's command, twisted his sword a bit, as it began to glow, then shot a spiraling wave of energy right at Mai, hitting her. Mai gritted her teeth and stood her ground, then smiled as her LP hit 0.

Yugi walked up and said "Wow! You guys both did well."  
Joey smiled, rubbing his index finger under his nose playfully. Mai walked up to Joey and stopped as she smiled. "Well, this was a most interesting day. I... thought at first I was going to regret meeting you guys again, after what happened, but I'm glad I didn't. And... thank you also, Joey. There was a reason I competed in Battle City... it was just so I could see all of you again. You especially, Joey. The pain of what Malik did to me in that 'Shadow Game' as it was called, the thought of being alone... it scared me... and perhaps when I fought for Doma, I was alone... more so than ever."

Joey patted Mai's shoulder softly, and simply said "You are never alone though, Mai. You should know that by now."

Mai looked up at her friend, smiled, then patted his hand in return. "I know..." She then leaned in and kissed Joey's cheek as she said "I am going to be sticking around here for a while, so you can expect me to run into you guys sometime soon."

Joey stood there, surprised as he had his hand on the cheek Mai kissed. She then waved and said "Bye bye for now." Then she walked off, smiling also. Yugi grinned playfully and said "Well, well..."

"Hey!! What's that supposed to mean, Yugi!?"  
"Well does it mean you two are dating!?" Yugi then began to ran, laughing as Joey chased after him "Why you!" All in all, it was a day full of victories, both in a Duel, and for the hearts of two people. A battle that was never easy to win, but when won, it made a person all the stronger.

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Episode 6 - Taro Teaches Melody; Duel Monsters 101 Part 1 - The Lesson

Taro came up slowly to a front door, blinking in surprise. The house of the address Melody mentioned to thim was a lot different than in his mind. In fact, this house had a touch of a European feel to it. He looked up and said 'Man... I feel so outta place! OK, Taro, pull yourself together, dude, and knock on the door!'

Nodding to himself, the shorter of the two Mutoh cousins knocked on the door rapidly. He stood there, waiting a bit, then exhaled, pulling the strap to his backpack a bit tightly to ease his tension some. Soon enough, the door was opened by Melody, who smiled sweetly, with a white buttoned up shirt, with some slight frilled sleeves on the end, and a black dark purple pleated skirt that went down to her ankles, showing her feet though. She then said "Taro, you made it. Find the place OK?"

"Yeah, I did. I didn't actually suspect your place would be like this though..."

Melody smiled still, while Taro slipped his shoes off, setting them by the door much like the custom was in Japan. "My mother is European to be honest. She loved the concept of houses in England, so she had this house bought the time we had come to Domino City. I mean, I never even told anyone my family was wealthy."  
"Wait, you're loaded?"  
"Mmm-hmm. Why? Is it that much of a surprise to you?"

"Kinda, but Mel, you know that that ain't gonna change the fact I am glad to have you as a friend!"

Melody smiled and then said "Thank you, Taro. My parents know of you coming over, but perhaps we should get started before introductions with them are made, right?"  
"OK! Lead the way!" Taro replied. Melody soon walked down the hall, Taro walking right next to her, still a bit surprised about what he learned so far about Melody. As they continued to walk, Melody then lead Taro to a study. "This is where I think we should study."  
"Man, this study is pretty big, Melody. But luckily enough, besides my own Deck, I brought along a lot of other cards my grandpa had. The guy does run a game shop after all."

Melody sat down and smiled as she said "Please sit with me, Taro, so we may begin this lesson."  
Taro blushed a bit, but nodded to respond, taking a seat next to Melody, placing his backpack onto the table, pulling out the box of cards he had as he then shook his blush off, as he cleared his throat. "Alright, Melody, let's get started with the lesson on how to play Duel Monsters."

Melody nodded, as Taro pulled out some cards, setting them He had set the cards into 3 categories. "Now, each card in Duel Monsters is seperated into one of 3 types of cards, Melody. First we have Monster Cards, then we have Magic Cards, and finally, Trap Cards. Each card has a place in its' Duelist's Deck, and how it helps depends on how it works."  
"I understand that. Do each card types have different types to their name also?" Melody asked, leaning towards Taro some.

Taro nodded. "Yeah. Lemme start on Monster Cards." He then placed out a few cards that represented the Monster Card class, looking at Melody and smiling. "Now, with Monsters, Melody, they all have a purpose. Monsters are meant to attack your opponent's other Monsters, his or her Life Points, or to protect your own. Monsters are classified in one of 6 Attributes for starters."

He then showed her Perfect Machine King, his favorite card and pointed to the upper-right hand corner. "Do you see that orb that has the kanji for Earth and say 'Earth' about it, Melody?"  
"Yes. Is that a Monster's Attribute?" Melody asked, her hands respectfully on her legs, closed as she looked on.  
"Right on! The Attributes in the game are Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Light, and Dark. And sometimes, Attributes play a big role in combos for Decks. But I'll get into Types next. Every card has a different Type to them. And Types can sometimes play a role too, much like Attributes can."

"You use Machine-Type Monsters, right, Taro?"  
"I do, Mel. Besides Machine, there is also Spellcaster, Dragon, Warrior, Beast, Beast-Warrior, Rock, Bird, Angel, Demon, Thunder, Aqua, Fish, Sea Serpent, Reptile, Dinosaur, and Insect-Type Monsters. Sometimes, when a person makes up a Deck, they may use the Types of Monsters as a focus. 2 such Duelists I've heard of are Weevil Underwood, and Rex Raptor. Weevil's used an Insect-Type Deck, and Rex has Dinosaurs, Dragons, and Reptiles with his Deck. And as you've seen, I run Machine-Type Monsters in my Deck. But sometimes, they may choose something else as the Deck's theme. Now, we come up to the Class of Monster." Taro smiled.

"The class?"  
"Yup. You see... each Monster Card has a kind of 'class'. Either it's Normal... which means it has a yellow border around it... Effect, like my Perfect Machine King here has, which means it's an Effect Monster and an orange border to show it, Ritual, which has a blue border to it, or Fusion, which has a purple border to it. For Ritual and Fusion Monsters, you need to do something different. Ritual Monsters require Ritual Magic Cards to Special Summon them. One such noted Ritual Monster is Black Luster Soldier."

"How does a Ritual Magic Card work...?" Melody asked.

"Well, to use a Ritual Magic Card, you gotta sacrifice Monsters on your side of the Field or in your hand equal to the Level of the Ritual Monster to Special Summon it from your hand. And Fusion Monsters sometimes need the Magic Card, Polymerization. But one of my Fusions, XYZ-Dragon Cannon, doesn't need that to Special Summon it."  
"I understand that a bit. But... what do Effect Monsters do?"

Taro chuckled as he answered Melody's query. "Well, Melody, Effect Monsters have an orange border like I said earlier. Now, the effects can help you and hinder your opponent, make your Monster stronger, or much more. The kinds of effects that exist are Flip, which means the Monster needs to be flipped from a face-down position to use it. Then there's Trigger, where a certain action you take activates the effect, Multi-Trigger, there the Monster's effect can be activated during either player's turn, Ignition, or Cost, which requires you to announce the effect, then do something, such as discard a card or cards from your hand, or sacrificing Monsters on your side of the Field, and finally, Continuous, where that Effect Monster's effect remains in play while it's on the Field. if it's flipped face-down or removed from the Field, its' effect is gone. And you can choose when during your turn to activate an Ignition Effect. Now, the next task is Levels. You remember when I battled Rumiko and I sacrificed my Cyber Falcon and Battle Footballer to summon Perfect Machine King?"  
"Yes."

"Well, in Duel Monsters ever since Battle City, a sacrifical rule has been in play. That means some Monsters need sacrifices due to their Level. Now... the Level of the Monster is under its' name and Attribute right here..." Taro pointed to the Star Level indicators under the name of Perfect Machine King as Melody said "8 Levels. Does that mean Perfect Machine King needs 2 sacrifices?"  
"Yup. Monsters whose Levels are 1, 2, 3, or 4 can be Normal Summoned from your hand once per turn. When you Normal Summon a Monster, you place them like so."

Taro then demonstrated, placing Perfect Machine King first vertically onto the table as he said "This is Attack Mode."

He then took his favorite card carefully, turning it horizontally this time. "This is Defense Mode."

And lastly, he flipped it face-down and said "And finally, Set Mode. Monsters who are Level 5 and 6 require 1 Sacrifice, and then Level 7 and beyond Monsters require 2 sacrifices to get them out, Melody."  
"How do the modes work?" Melody asked.

Taro then smiled. "See, in Attack Mode, your Monster can be included in what is called the Battle Phase. In the Battle Phase, you have your Monster attack your opponent's Monsters, or if he or she doesn't have any, their Life Points. In Attack Mode, a Monster's ATK, or Attack Points, are taken into account." Taro then pointed to the bottom of Perfect Machine King's card, to its' ATK, which was 2700. "The higher the ATK points of an Attack Mode Monster, the more damage it would do to one of your opponent's Monsters with weaker ATK that also is in Attack Mode. If the Monster is in Defense Mode, Mel, your Monster's DEF or Defense Points are taken into account. See the DEF next to Perfect Machine King's ATK?"  
"I do. It reads 1500 points."

"Right. Now, while a Monster is in Defense Mode, if an Attack Mode Monster attacks it and that Attack Mode Monster's ATK is weaker, the controller of said Monster takes damage due to the difference."

"I see. What if a Monster that had weaker ATK that was in Attack Mode attacked a Monster that had higher ATK?"

"Then the controller of the attacking Monster loses LIfe Points equal to the difference in ATK." Taro added. Melody and Taro both then stopped, looking at one another for a moment, as Melody then blushed a bit and said "Life Points?"

"Yup. Life Points are what determine who is closest to losing, Melody." Taro replied, his cheeks red too from when Melody looked at him. "In some games, 4000 Life Points are used, and in others, 8000 are used. When your Life Points hit 0, you lose, but the same conditions falls to your opponent too. A Duelist can also lose by having no more cards to draw, if they surrender by placing their hand on their Deck, or if special conditions are met."

"I do understand that well. Taro, can Ritual and Fusion Monsters have effects?"  
"Yep, they can! You can always find the effect above the ATK and DEF in case you need to know what that Monster does, if it has an effect."  
"Alright. Now... what about Magic Cards?"  
Taro smiled as he pulled some Magic Cards from his Deck and placed them out in their classification.

"Magic Cards are another life-blood to a Deck in Duel Monsters. Magic Cards help you and hurt your opponent. Now, Magic Cards are classified in Normal, Quickplay, Permanent, Equip, Ritual, and Field. Normal Magic Cards are played from your hand or played after you've set them face-down. Cards of this class I have include Monster Reborn, Silent Dead, Pot of Greed... to name a few. Then there's Quickplay. You can play a Quickplay Magic Card like a Normal Magic Card, but if you set it down, you can activate it also during your opponent's turn."

"Oh I see! How so?"

"It's the trigger timing. The timing for a Quickplay Magic Card can be considered like that of a Trap Card at times. Anyhow, Permanent Magic Cards will remain face-up up on the Field until they are destroyed, or their effects are used. Field Magic Cards are played on a special spot of the Duel Zone, and power up certain types of Monsters, or give you special effects to make use of. Equip Magic Cards are placed onto a Monster, giving it an effect of some kind, an ATK or DEF increase, or something different! And Ritual Magic Cards, as I said before, are used in Special Summoning Ritual Monsters. If you need to know the type of Magic Card you have, look right next to the words 'Magic Card' underneath the name of the Magic Card. If you see no icon, that is a Normal Magic Card. If you see a kind of lightning bolt-esque crack in a circle, that's a Quickplay Magic Card. If you see a sign like a plus symbol in the circle, that's an Equip Magic Card. If you see an infinity symbol, that's a Permanent Magic Card. If you see what looks like a compass marker, that's Field Magic. And if you see a flame like icon, that is Ritual."

"Very easy to understand if you ask me." Melody smiled. "I take it Trap Cards also have their own classifications too."

"You're sure getting the hang of this, Mel! Trap Cards come in Normal, Counter, Continuous, and sometimes, Equip!"

"So, the same markers as for Magic Cards are implied?" Melody blinked. Taro began to laugh a bit. "Close, but for Counter Trap Cards, they have a kind of a curved arrow pointing left that shows it is one. Then it has the Permanent infinity symbol for the Continuous Trap Card, and finally, the same kind of cross like symbol for Equip Trap Cards."

"I believe I understand this now so easily." Melody then sweetly smiled, and then hugged Taro. "Thank you again for doing this, Taro. I am glad I asked you to do this!" She looked at Taro then kissed his forehead as Taro blushed furiously.

"Yo-you're welcome.." Taro chuckled sheepishly. "The next thing you gotta get is the Graveyard, the Abyss, and the Phases of play. The Graveyard is generally where all Magic and Trap Cards that have been used and/or have been destroyed, as well as Monster Cards that have been destroyed in battle or by other means are placed. But the Abyss is for cards that have been removed from play. That's a special condition that occurs occassionally, and that means that the cards are gone and are placed outside of your Graveyard."

"Does that mean you cannot access them again?" Melody asked, still having Taro in his arms, but Taro not minding as much. "Well, yeah, you can at times, Melody. It would take a Magic Card or a Trap Card, and sometimes even a Monster effect to get a card removed from play back, either to your hand or in your Graveyard. But yes, you can." He stopped for a moment, his blush gone as he looked at Melody and smiled. "You know, to step off the topic a bit... do you know you have pretty eyes, Mel?"

"T-Taro..." Melody blushed a bit but then said "So, what about these Phases?"

Taro slowly slipped from Melody's hug and sat down. "The Phases are how each Duelist goes through a turn. At the beginning of each Duel, both players, or Duelists, have 5 cards in hand. The first phase is the Draw Phase, where the turn player draws 1 card from his or her Deck and adds it to their hand. Now, the most cards a Duelist can have at a time, unless a Magic Card's effect says otherwise or even a Trap Card's, is 6. After the Draw Phase, we come to the Standby Phase. In this phase of play, some cards' effects become active. Next, after that, we have Main Phase 1. In Main Phase 1, you can Normal Summon a Monster in the modes I told you about or set it face-down. You can also set Trap Cards, or play Magic Cards if you'd like. If it is your first turn, you can't enter the next Phase which is the Battle Phase. In the Battle Phase, you'd have your Monsters atack, as long as their ATK is high enough to destroy an opposing Monster."

"The Battle Phase actually sounds like it could be tough without the right Deck."  
"Naw, it can be easy, since Equip Magic Cards can help power up your Monsters. Now, the Battle Phase has steps of its' own. The first part has you target 1 of your opponent's Monsters. That will begin the Battle Phase. This step is known as the Attack Step. When the attack is done, we move to the Damage Step. In the Damage Step, if a stronger Monster is in Attack Mode and you destroy another Attack Mode Monster with weaker ATK, that difference will be subtracted from your opponent's Life Points. If the other Monster is in Defense Mode, and your Monster's ATK is higher, it's destroyed. But if your Monster has weaker ATK, you lose LP, and if the DEF of the Defense Mode Monster is higher, you lose LP also. After the Damage Step, we'd repeat the Attack Step if you have more than one Monster on the Field. And once you are done attacking, that is the End Step."

"That sounds good so far. Any more Phases?"  
"2 more. Main Phase 2, which is just like Main Phase 1 at times. And finally, the End Phase. The End Phase is the end of the turn, plus if you have more than 6 cards in your hand, you need to discard cards until you have 6 in your hand. But next, I will explain the Summons. I told you about Normal Summons, yeah?"

"Yes." Melody smiled as she had her chin resting on her right hand. "You said you can make only 1 Normal Summon per turn. What about these Special Summons you had mentioned when explaining about Ritual Monsters?"

"Special Summons are a whole different game. If you can make them, you can make as many in one turn as you like. But you got only 5 Monster Card Zones, so you got to be careful about it, that's for sure. You also have 5 spots for Magic and Trap Cards, so you gotta use them wisely. Then, we got Flip Summons. If a Monster is face-down, you can flip it up to Attack Mode, making it face-up. If your flipped Monster has a Flip Effect, that is gonna be immediately activated. And I beleive with that, I have covered everything."

Melody smiled. "Good! So, now... that leaves a Deck?"  
"Yeah! That's right. Technically, sometimes, there are 3 Decks, your Main Deck, your Side Deck, and your Fusion Deck. Your Main Deck needs a minimum of 40 cards in it to be tournament legal. Then the Side Deck has 15 cards total you can switch with during tournaments if you need to, and your Fusion Deck houses your Fusion Monsters. Now, we move to building the Deck for you." Taro slowly looked through some of the cards and then said "Once you find something you find interesting, I will help you out, OK?"

"Thank you again, Taro. You see, when I first heard of Duel Monsters, I didn't even think I'd want to learn to play. But once I saw how you played, it made me see just how much fun Duel Monsters could be... and how I wanted to play it." Melody had said, digging through the cards. This had gotten to Taro some, and with that having been said, he simply smiled.

"Ya know, back at my old school in Odaiba, I didn't know anyone who liked Duel Monsters like I did. But I am glad I decided to come here to Domino City while my mom is in America for business. And... at least it gave me a chance to meet Yugi's friends and you." Taro said. "See anything yet?"

"I think I do!" Melody pulled out a card carefully, then handed it to Taro, who looked at it. "Wow. Law of the Normal! I didn't see that coming, to be honest. This actually is a solid Magic Card, Mel. The thing is, we are gonna have to build a Deck around small Monsters, Level 1 and 2s to be precise. But I know other support cards for such a Deck, and that also help Level 3 Monster Cards too. You want to go for that kind of a theme as a Deck?"  
Melody nodded and smiled. "The idea sounds good. Even if the Monsters may not be cute, I do not mind. Small Monsters seem like a lovely idea."

"Good. Then we know what to do!" Taro smiled, raising his arm in the air, as well as holding onto Law of the Normal.

LAW OF THE NORMAL  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: You can only activate this card when there are 5 face-up Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters on your side of the Field. Both players discard all cards in their hands, and destroy all cards on the Field except Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters.

Taro then placed it down, as he and Melody began to work on her Deck, which Taro had nicknamed "Law of the Normal", hoping to bring out a strong Deck, even with weak Monsters. He had a lot of help thanks to remembering how this kind of Deck Theme would work, and he wanted to give Melody the help she'd need.

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Episode 7 - Taro Teaches Melody; Duel Monsters 101 Part 2 - The Duel

After having gotten her deck prepared, Taro and Melody began to shuffle one another's Decks as Taro explained. "Alright, we're gonna do a Duel with 4000 Life Points. And you remember all I told you, right?"

Melody nodded as both placed their Decks onto opposite sides of the table.

"Duel!" Taro said, as Melody blinked then said "Oh! Duel."

Both now had Life Points of 4000 set up, also drawing their first five cards. Taro smiled softly as he said "Melody, feel free to go first if you'd like."  
Melody smiled and said "Thank you. My turn then." She drew her sixth card, examining her hand. She remembered her Deck didn't have many strong Monsters... so she'd have to play them in different combos to keep them on the Field. She took one Monster Card and said "I summon Petit Dragon in Defense Mode."

Melody's card was placed horizontally, showing it was in Defense Mode. On the card was a very petit-looking dragon with a yellow body, small wings, a cute smile, big green eyes, as well as stripes along its' belly.

PETIT DRAGON

Wind/Dragon/2/600 ATK/700 DEF

Melody then took another card and said "And then, I will place a card face-down for later. Turn end."

'Not bad. She's gonna need to take time to get out her strategy, but I think I can at least give a good fair Duel by playing my best.' Taro thought. "My turn. Draw!" He drew his sixth card.

He looked at his hand and saw he had Gradius and Gradius's Option. He could take an early lead this way. So he nodded as he said "I summon Gradius in Attack Mode."

With Taro's summon, a futuristic fighter jet similar to the one in the Konami video game, Gradius, which the card was named after, appeared, locking onto target. This was Vic Viper, known as Gradius in some circles.

GRADIUS

Light/Machine/4/1200 ATK/800 DEF

Taro then took a card from his hand and added on. "And thanks to Gradius' summon, I can Special Summon this guy from my hand. I Special Summon Gradius's Option!"  
Right next to Gradius floated a small orb with a diamond-like shape in front of it. Suddenly, it morphed into a clone of Gradius, floating right next to it. Taro then smiled as he said "And now! Gradius, attack Melody's Petit Dragon!"

Gradius locked onto target, and shot a blast of energy from its' lasers right at Petit Dragon as Melody then quickly flipped over her face-down card. "Activate Trap Card! Draining Shield!"  
Taro looked in surprise, but then smiled as he knew Gradius's attack was halted, Melody's Life Points going up to 5200.

DRAINING SHIELD

Normal Trap Card

Effect: Negate the attack of 1 of your opponent's Monsters and increase your Life Points by an amount equal to the attacking Monster's ATK.

Taro smiled as he said "Well, I can still at least try to attack with Gradius's Option, but where's the fun in that? I'll just set one card face-down... for later as well."

Melody smiled and said "My turn then." She drew her next card, her hand size now 5 cards due to her having played Petit Dragon last turn, then having used Draining Shield. She examined her hand and smiled when she saw a most intriguing Magic Card. That Magic Card was Enchanting Fitting Room. She nodded and said "I will now use the Magic Card, Enchanting Fitting Room!"

Melody knew her Life Points would go down by 800 points for using Enchanting Fitting Room. Her LP was still 400 points higher than Taro's, being at 4400. She then picked up the four topmost cards of her Deck, examining them.

ENCHANTING FITTING ROOM

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Pay 800 Life Points. Pick up 4 cards from the top of your Deck and Special Summon any Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters among the picked-up cards to your side of the Field. Return all the other cards to your Deck and the Deck is then shuffled.

Taro blinked as he said "Get anything good with Enchanting Fitting Room's effect?"

Melody smiled, then winked. "That'd be telling! You'll see for yourself. I now Special Summon Gigobyte, Mokey Mokey, and Haniwa with the effect of Enchanting Fitting Room, all in Defense Mode."

The 3 Monsters of Melody's were all small ones, just like Petit Dragon, but each looking interesting. The first one, Gigobyte, was a small green reptile with spikes on his elbows, knees, and along his shoulders. He also had yellow wrapping around his wrists and ankles. This was a much smaller version of another Monster in the game known as Gagagigo... at his earliest stage.

GIGOBYTE

Water/Reptile/1/350 ATK/300 DEF

The second Special Summoned Monster, Mokey Mokey, was shaped like a block of white tofu, with round hands and feet, small yellow wings, and a pink kind of antenna-style halo almost shaped like a question mark. It also appeared to be kind of confused.

MOKEY MOKEY

Light/Angel/1/300 ATK/100 DEF

And finally, the last one, Haniwa, was a brown idol-shaped creature with dark blue arms and round hands with no fingers, as well as similar colored legs, but brown feet. It also had a yellow mouth with black around it, and similar eyes.

HANIWA

Earth/Rock/2/500 ATK/500 DEF

Taro looked in surprise. "Whoa. Now that's one heck of a lineup!"

"I will then just set 2 cards down to end my turn for now. Your turn, Taro-kun!"

Taro blushed at that, but smiled at the thought of Melody calling him Taro-kun. He then shook it off and said "OK, then. My turn!" He drew his next card and smiled softly. 'Cyclon Laser. This'll be handy for cutting through Mel-chan's defense.'

"I play the Equip Magic Card, Cyclon Laser, and equip it to the only Monster it can be equipped by... Gradius!"

With that said, a small set of dual lasers appeared underneath Gradius's frame, locking into place.

CYCLON LASER

Equip Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be equipped to "Gradius". Increase the ATK of "Gradius" by 300 points. Whenever the equipped "Gradius" attacks with an ATK higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"And now, it's time to do some damage. Gradius, attack Gigobyte!" Gradius locked onto Gigobyte, and the Cyclon Laser attached to it shot a spiraling laser at it, blowing him up to bits. Melody gulped a bit at that as her LP then dropped down to 3000 as she said "What just happened?"  
"Gradius gets the trample effect when equipped with Cyclon Laser, Mel-chan. In other words, whenever it attacks with higher ATK than any of your Defense Mode Monsters' DEF, he deals damage. So you lost 1400 LP when Gradius destroyed Gigobyte."

Melody nodded. "I getcha. But now I activate my Trap Card, Human Wave Tactics!"

Taro looked at this and said "Oh, man..."

HUMAN WAVE TACTICS

Continuous Trap Card

Effect: During the End Phase of each turn, select a number of Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters from your Deck equal to the number of your Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters destroyed as a result of Battle during that turn, and Special Summon them to your side of the Field. Then shuffle your Deck.

"OK, so I might as well as continue the attack! Gradius's Option, attack Haniwa!" Gradius's Option locked on then fired, blowing up Haniwa as Melody smiled then said "Nice move."

"Yeah, I know this is gonna hurt me a bit, but... it's worth a shot at least. I'll set one Monster face-down and end my turn." Taro just simply set down one card, then exhaled.

Melody smiled, as she grabbed her Deck then pulled out 2 Level 2 Monsters and said "With Human Wave Tactics, I will Special Summon 2 Level 2 or lower Monsters from my Deck as destroyed as a result of Battle by your Monsters. So... I Special Summon another Haniwa from my Deck, then another Gigobyte."

Once more, another Haniwa and Gigobyte appeared, but this time, both were in Attack Mode, as Melody then shuffled her Deck, setting it down. She smiled then said "My turn. Draw." She drew her next card casually, then held up her card of choice. "I will now activate Pot of Greed. which as you know lets me draw 2 cards." Melody placed Pot of Greed into her Graveyard pile, drawing 2 cards. From her hand of 3, she then was at 5 cards total. She noticed one card in particular that could be the best offense at this point in time.

She then said "I will now use this card. I will activate the Equip Magic Card, Sword of the Sword-Eater."

With Melody's play, a sword that was twisted black with what appeared to be an eye along the center appeared as Taro knew what this meant. "Uh-oh..."  
"As you know, Taro-kun, Sword of the Soul-Eater is a pretty strong Equip Magic Card when with a Deck like mine. I will now equip this Magic Card to Gigobyte... and following its' effect, I will sacrifice Mokey Mokey, Petit Dragon, and Haniwa to its' effect."

SWORD OF THE SOUL-EATER

Equip Magic Card

Effect: You can only equip this card to a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster on your side of the Field. When you activate this card, offer all Normal Monsters (except Tokens) on your side of the Field, except the equipped Monster, as Sacrifices. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 1000 points for each Normal Monster that you offered as a Sacrifice.

Melody then took Haniwa, Petit Dragon, and Mokey Mokey's cards, placing them into the Graveyard pile as she then said "And thanks to my 3 Monsters's Sacrifices... Gigobyte's ATK is raised by 3000 points, 1000 for each of my sacrificed Monsters. That puts it at 3350 ATK. And now I move to attack. Gigobyte, attack Gradius!"

Taro knew his set card wouldn't help here, so he just let the attack go through, his LP taking a 2150 point drop. 4000 points to 1850 LP in one shot. He smiled as he thought 'Now this is the true power of Melody's Deck! Anyone will take a first glance and see her Deck as weak due to the fact her Monsters' ATK are low, but the true power is when a Magic Card like Sword of the Soul-Eater is played.'

"To continue one, I will set one card face-down to end my turn." Taro heard Melody's last move, then moved her Gradius and Gradius's Option to the Graveyard, but didn't mind. He knew he had to defend, so he then said "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card, then he played his set card, flipping it up. "And I play my Quickplay Magic Card, Scapegoat, to defend my Life Points."

Taro took 4 tokens from his pocket and placed them onto the Field to represent his Sheep Tokens, since he didn't have a Duel Disk with him. He then said "Turn end."

"My turn then." Melody said, drawing her next card. She then said "I will next play Mega Thunderball in Attack Mode."

This Monster Melody had played was a large ball shaped Monster, spikes along the green and blue panels as well as a white one... then a red dot in the center.

MEGA THUNDERBALL

Wind/Thunder/2/750 ATK/600 DEF

"Now, I move to attack! Gigobyte, attack one of Taro's Sheep Tokens!" Gigobyte destroyed the Sheep Token to the far-most right. Melody continued her turn then said "Go, Mega Thunderbolt, attack the Sheep Token! to the right!"

Mega Thunderbolt also destroyed the Sheep Token on the right, thusly, Taro only had 2 Sheep Tokens in play. Taro gulped a bit as Melody smiled sweetly. "Turn end."

Taro nodded as he said "My turn. Draw!"

He looked at his card of drawing, and smiled as he said "I play Graceful Charity." He then drew 3 cards, his hand size at 6 cards. He took 2 cards from his hand, Gradius's Option, and Cyber Falcon, showing them to Melody before placing the, into the Graveyard pile as then he said "And now, I will set one Monster face-down, then end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Melody drew her next card, then smiled as she said "I will now play another Mega Thunderball in Attack Mode. Now, Gigobyte, attack!"

"Nice try. But I play Negate Attack!"

Melody then blinked as she said "Oh, no..."

"So you know what this means, right? You cannot attack."  
"Right. I will set one card down... to end my turn." Melody exhaled, then smiled sweetly. "Live and let live, Mel-chan! You did a good job! Now... My turn." Taro drew his next card, then he smiled when he saw his card. He then smiled as he said "I will now flip up Gear Golem the Moving Fortress from face-down Defense Mode to face-up Attack Mode."

Taro's Monster of choice had a large gear in the center of its' body, which was golden. It also had golden circles near its' arms with spikes protruding from them. And spiked arm-like shields as well. Its' head was curved some, its' eyes red and the same gold color as the gear. It also had small feet, and blue and black lined hazard-like lines along its' body.

GEAR GOLEM THE MOVING FORTRESS  
Earth/Machine/4/800 ATK/2200 DEF  
Effect: Pay 800 Life Points. This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly.

Taro then showed one of his Magic Cards and said "I will now play 7 Completed! With its' effect, I can raise the ATK or DEF of 1 Machine-Type Monster on my side of the Field by 700 points. For Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, I choose to power up Gear Golem's ATK!"

7 COMPLETED  
Equip Magic Card

Effect: A Machine-Type Monster equipped with this card increases either its' ATK or DEF by 700 points. You cannot change your choice as long as this card remains face-up on the Field.

Gear Golem the Moving Fortress's ATK - 1500 ATK.

"Now, I will also add in the Magic Card, Limiter Removal, doubling Gear Golem's ATK to 3000! But that's not all! I now add in Gear Golem the Moving Fortress's effect by paying 800 Life Points, putting me at 1050 LP! Now... attack Mel-chan's Life Points directly!"

Melody blinked in surprise, her LP dropped from 3000 to 0. Melody exhaled, but smiled sweetly still. "Thank you again for teaching me the game, Taro. I had so much fun Dueling! Is this how it feels for you all the time?"

"Yeah, to be honest, it does." Taro smiled. "And you definitely built a good Deck! You had me on the ropes those last few times! So, next time, we get someone else to Duel against you, and then we can really see your Deck cut loose!"

Melody blushed but smiled. "I'd like that. But... I guess my parents are going to wonder where you are." She slid out of her chair, then smiled as she said "Shall we go?"  
Taro leapt out of his chair and nodded. "Heck yeah! Let's go!" Taro chuckled, as he ran up to Melody's side, but then blinked. "Oh! Our Decks!"

Melody then gasped as both grabbed their Decks, putting them back together as Taro placed his into his backpack, then he followed right behind Melody, whom had her Deck in her hand. Melody was about 5' 5" and Taro was 5' 2". But neither minded that, since their friendship, and perhaps something more, would grow easily, as well as endure.

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Episode 8 - The Return of Johnny Steps

A day or so after Taro had gone to Melody's, Yugi was walking home with Téa, since Joey and Tristan had to go to work for the time, Bakura was at home already, Duke had to tend to things at the Black Crown Game Shop his family owned, and Taro and Melody were hanging out at her place. Yugi had his hands behind his head, thinking. Téa looked over at him, her arms behind her back as she said "Yugi, is something on your mind?"

"Yeah. I just was wondering about those Card Hunters... and why we haven't heard anything from them. Makes me wonder if something big is up." He then stopped when he saw a report on some TVs nearby. Téa stopped also as the two turned.

"And to repeat earlier reports, game designer, Pegasus J. Crawford, was attacked yesterday, by an unknown assailant at his home outside of San Franciso. Reports released by Industrial Illusions employees say that the attacker came in fast and then was gone, but some guards were unconscious at the time, so the information given may not be 100 accurate. No injuries were placed on Crawford, but it is still unknown why this occurance had happened.

"What the-...?" Yugi blinked. "I wonder if the Card Hunters were behind this, Téa."

"Me too, Yugi. If they wanted a good target for cards, then who better than Pegasus?" Téa added.

Yugi nodded. "Mmm-hmmm." Yugi then had his arms crossed, exhaling some, eyes closed as he remembered what Senbei told him of the Card Hunters' agenda. He then heard someone say "Yugi Mutoh, I presume?"

Yugi shot his eyes opened and said "Who's there!?" He turned quickly as did Téa, the question coming from someone whom was rather tall, with a long sleeved red shirt, some decorative jewelry, a bracelet here, a Native American-style necklace there, black pants with a bandana around the right knee, as well as black shoes. He just lifted up his sunglasses, smiling as he had light brown skin and some dreadlocks as well.

"Wait a minute! I remember you!" Téa said in surprise. "You're Johnny Steps! What the heck are you doing here!?"

Johnny chuckled some as he replied to Téa's query. "Well, Téa, I had to try and find Yugi once more, and you."

"Me?" Téa blinked as Yugi looked at Johnny.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I remembered whatcha said to me, Téa... about not giving up. So, I decided to take off into the world for a bit, work on my game in both Dance Dance Revolution AND in Duel Monsters. So..." Johnny smiled, then pointed to Yugi. "I want to take you on once more, King of Duelists! I want to see how my much improved Deck stands up to your famed Deck!"  
"Say what...?" Yugi blinked in surprise.

Johnny turned his back to them, then turned his face back to them, smiling. "Well, we're going to need to go to KaibaLand if we're going to do this. So do you accept the challenge?"

Yugi nodded slowly, confused.

A bit later, at the KaibaLand amusment park, set up by Seto Kaiba while he was in Japan, Yugi, Johnny, and Téa walked to one of the Dueling Arenas so Yugi and Johnny could Duel. KaibaLand Japan was meant to be a place for fans of Duel Monsters, Duelists, and more to go and to have fun, as it was also set up with Duel Arenas, much like the ones used during Pegasus's famed Duelist Kingdom tournament. Yugi looked on as Johnny walked to one side of the Duel Arena set up. It had a large playing field, with 2 platforms apart from each other. One was red, the other was blue. The chrome design for it was most interesting, but sleek too.

Yugi then whispered to Téa. "What the heck is goin' on?"  
Téa knelt down, whispering to Yugi softly. "Well, you remember when Atem and I went on that 'date' of ours before Battle City, Yugi? I played him in a game of Dance Dance Revolution, then Johnny took Atem on in a Duel, and well... that's why this is all happening. Sorry."

"Don't be. I don't mind a Duel. Besides, it could be fun!" Yugi smiled as he walked to the blue Duel Platform, with Johnny at the red. Johnny spoke to Yugi, smiling. "All right, we'll Duel with 4000 Life Points, Yugi! Same rules as Battle City, just no card being put up as ante. That OK with you?"  
Yugi nodded softly. "Yeah." He took his Deck from the deck holder he had attached to his belt, placing it down as Johnny placed a Deck down also. Both looked at each other then said at the same time "DUEL!!"

Both Yugi and Johnny now had 5 cards in their hands as Johnny said "Alright! I'll start off!" Johnny drew his sixth card, examining his hand as he then smiled, saying "I summon Spirit of the Harp in Defense Mode to get us started off!"

Johnny's leading summon was that of a beautiful girl, whom held a wooden harp against her yellow robes, with 2 blue round covers of sorts over her ears, her light green hair slightly showing as she smiled.

SPIRIT OF THE HARP

Light/Angel/4/800 ATK/2000 DEF

"And to continue, I will set one card face-down and end my turn." Johnny smiled.

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his sixth card, looking at it. His hand had some decent cards to it. Yugi knew none of his current Monsters were good enough to attack Johnny's strong defender, so he decided to improvise until he could get a stronger Monster out. He took a card in his hand and said "I play Giant Soldier of Stone in Defense Mode!"

A large gigantic golem-like creature with two sheathes for swords on its' shoulders appeared on Yugi's side of the Field, kneeling down, with its' arms crossed over into an X in front of its' body.

GIANT SOLDIER OF STONE  
Earth/Rock/3/1300 ATK/2000 DEF

"Next, I set one card face-down!" Yugi placed the card onto the play zone of his Duel Platform, as a large Duel Monsters card appeared, face-down behind Giant Soldier of Stone as Yugi said "And that's the end of my turn."

"My turn." Drawing his next card, Johnny looked at it and smiled. He then said "I now will play the Magic Card, Stop Defense!"  
Yugi looked on and thought quickly "Uh-oh! Not good..."

"That's right, not good. When this Magic Card is activated, I can change the battle position of 1 Monster on your side of the Field that's in Defense Mode, and change it to Attack Mode! So I will do so to Giant Soldier of Stone!"

STOP DEFENSE  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Select 1 of your opponent's Defense Mode Monsters and switch it to Attack Mode. If the chosen Monster Card is face-down, flip it face-up. If the card has a Flip Effect, it is activated.

Téa looked on as she thought 'He really has improved!'

Johnny then smiled as Yugi's Giant Soldier of Stone turned from Defense Mode to Attack Mode. Yugi blinked in surprise at this as Johnny then smiled and said "I will now play Hibikime in Attack Mode!"

A beautiful girl with a long green dress, blue hair, pale skin, a note-shaped scythe, and a smile with her blue lips.

HIBIKIME

Earth/Warrior/4/1450 ATK/1000 DEF

"Hibikime, attack Giant Soldier of Stone!" Hibikime charged forward and slashed Giant Soldier of Stone right in half, destroying it and dealing 150 points of damage to Yugi's LP, placing him at 3850 right at the moment.

"Nice move." Yugi replied, smiling.

"Thank you. I will next place one card face-down to end my turn." Johnny said, smiling.

"My turn then! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card then said "I will now activate my set Trap Card, Call of the Haunted!"

Yugi then watched the field as a purple mist appeared on the Field as Giant Soldier of Stone was back on the Field in Attack Mode. Johnny blinked as he thought 'What is that guy up to?'

"I will next sacrifice Giant Soldier of Stone to summon Chaos Command Magician in Attack Mode!"

The Monster summoned in Giant Soldier of Stone's place had a long magician's cap, a short staff, a cape, as well as armor of green and yellow, with a light blue face with some black markers down his cheeks some, as well as red rune stones embedded along the collar of the cape, the top of his gauntlets, as well as his cap. He twirled his staff then thrusted it forward.

CHAOS COMMAND MAGICIAN

Light/Spellcaster/6/2400 ATK/1900 DEF  
Effect: Negate the effect of a Monster Card that specifically designates this 1 card as a target.

"Chaos Command Magician, attack Hibikime!"

Chaos Command Magician leapt up into the air, his staff shining brightly, as he then shot a blast of energy forward, blowing Hibikime away, and dealing quite a load of damage to Johnny's Life Points as well! To be precise, 950 points, putting Johnny at 3050.

Johnny just smiled as he said "Good move. But what I wanted you to do. I now play Soul Rope!"

A flash of light appeared as the image of a card appeared, one with a man beginning to glow, with a rope of light going through him, and a monk-like person in robes kneeling near him.

Yugi was familiar with Soul Rope, since he himself used it in his Deck. And he wondered some about what Johnny was going to Special Summon...

SOUL ROPE

Normal Trap Card

Effect: This card can only be activated when one Monster on your side of the Field is destroyed. Pay 1000 Life Points and Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from your Deck to the Field.

"I will now pay 1000 Life Points, and Special Summon... Witch of the Black Forest from my Deck to the Field in Defense Mode!"

With Johnny's summon, a young woman with a black robe (a light blue color to go with it and an eye in the center of that), purple hair, with a third eye on her forehead, and brown fur-lined ears.

WITCH OF THE BLACK FOREST

Dark/Spellcaster/4/1100 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: When this card is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, move 1 Monster with a DEF of 1500 points or less from your Deck, show it to your opponent it, and add it to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled.

"And with that.." Yugi said. "I end my turn."

"Good. My turn! Draw!" Johnny drew his next card, then saw he had gotten Polymerization. He also noticed Lady of Faith in his hand, so he nodded and said "I will now play Polymerization, and send Lady of Faith from my hand, and Witch of the Black Forest from my side of the Field to Special Summon Musician King from my Fusion Deck!"

In a flash of light, Yugi looked on to see that Witch of the Black Forest was gone, and in her place, was a man with a guitar in his hand, his spikey blonde hair sticking up, a red bandana around his forehead, black leather pants, boots, and red gloves with spiked bracelets around his wrists. This card didn't look like much, but it was Johnny's best card.

MUSICIAN KING

Light/Spellcaster-Fusion/5/1750 ATK/1500 DEF  
"Witch of the Black Forest" + "Lady of Faith"

"And since Witch of the Black Forest was on my side of the Field when I played Polymerization, I will now add 1 Monster with a DEF of 1500 points or less!" He grabbed his Deck, fanning through his cards, then smiled when he had gotten Beautiful Songtress, his card of choice. He showed the card to Yugi and smiled. "So I will add Beautiful Songstress to my hand with Witch of the Black Forest's effect. Now I get to shuffle my Deck."

BEAUTIFUL SONGSTRESS

Earth/Spellcaster/1/0 ATK/0 DEF  
Effect: While this card is face-up, you can offer it as a Sacrifice to add 1 Magic Card from your Deck to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled.

Johnny set his hand down, then shuffled his Deck, placing it down, then he said "I will now play Beautiful Songtress in Attack Mode."

With Johnny's summon, a beautiful woman with long black hair, a red dress, and a standing microphone appeared. Johnny smiled as he said "My vision of loveliness has one interesting effect I want you two to take note of! When I offer her as a Sacrifice, I get to add 1 Magic Card from my Deck to my hand! Beautiful Songstress, hit it!"

Téa blinked, thinking to herself. 'What kind of Magic Card could Johnny add to his hand to help Musician King? Yugi's got a 2400 ATK Monster in play, so there's not much else Johnny could use. But... Musician King's Level... it's...! Wait! If what Yugi told me about Magic Cards, there may be something Johnny's gonna get!'

Yugi looked on as Beautiful Songstress began to sing softly, her body fading away, but her song playing still as Johnny pulled out his Magic Card of choice, smiled and then said "AND NOW...!!'

'Is it what I think he wanted?' Yugi asked himself, looking on as Johnny said "I play Pot of Greed!"

Yugi blinked as he said 'What...? It wasn't what I expected? Is he up to something?'

Johnny drew two cards, then smiled as he said "Now I will activate my set Trap Card! Activate... METALMORPH!!"

Suddenly, Musician King gained a leather jacket with spikes protruding from the shoulder pads, as well as a different guitar as he grinned.

METALMORPH

Equip Trap Card

Effect: After activation, this card ican be equipped to one face-up Monster. The Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK and DEF by 300 points. When attacking with a Monster equipped with "Metalmorph", you can further increase its' ATK by an amount equal to half of the ATK of the Monster's attack target.

Johnny smiled as he said "Thanks to Metalmorph, my Musician King is now gonna rock harder than ever, with his ATK at 2050, and his DEF at 1800! But now it is time to rock and roll! Musician King! Attack Chaos Command Magician!"

Musician King took his pick for his guitar and began to play it, waves of sound shooting at Chaos Command Magician, causing him to cry out, as Yugi noticed that Musician King's ATK shot up to 3250, gaining 1200 points from Chaos Command Magician's ATK! That was Metalmorph's true power as then Chaos Command Magician exploded, Yugi covering his body some, his Life Points dropped to 3000.

Johnny smiled as he said "This is why I've been working hard! To get a shot like this against you once more, Yugi Mutoh! You've seen some of my true power at work here, so get ready to feel the burn! I will next set one card face-down... and that ends my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi said, determination coming to his face as he said "I will now play Graceful Charity! This Magic Card lets me draw 3 cards, then discard 2 to the Graveyard!" Yugi had 4 cards in his hand thanks to his earlier plays, but he didn't care for that at the moment. He drew 3 cards, then saw his hand had some good cards to choose from. He nodded and said "I will discard... these 2!" Yugi held up Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 and he also held up Giant Rat, placing them into his Graveyard pile. He then took another card he drew and said "I will now play Monster Reborn!"

In a flash of light, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 reappeared as Yugi said "And I Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 back to the Field with Monster Reborn!"

Horus roared at his return as Johnny said "So? It's still not strong enough to plow through Spirit of the Harp's DEF of 2000, and even without Metalmorph's effect kicking in, it's no match for my Musician King!"

"Who said I was gonna attack? I now play... Level Reverse!" Yugi said, holding a card that showed an image of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 devolving to LV6, then LV6 devolving down to LV4 as he said "Level Reverse allows me to Sacrifice 1 LV Monster on my side of the Field to Special Summon 1 other Monster with LV within summoning requirements from my hand or Deck! It can be any of them! So... I choose Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6!"

LEVEL REVERSE  
Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Offer 1 Monster with "LV" in its' card name on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice to activate this card. Special Summon, within summoning requirements, 1 other Monster with "LV" in its' card name from your hand or Deck to the Field.

In a flash, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 disappeared, and LV6 took his place, roaring. Yugi then said "But I'm not done there, Johnny! I will next play Level Up! This little number is like Level Reverse, only I gotta send my current LV Monster to the Graveyard, then Special Summon 1 other that is written on its' card text! For Horus LV6, that means... one of my best cards... Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!!"

LEVEL UP!

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Send 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field that has "LV" in its' card name to the Graveyard to activate this card. Special Summon the Monster that is written in the card text of that Monster from your hand or Deck, ignoring the Summoning conditions.

Horus LV6 disappeared in a flash as Yugi held up Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8's card and said "Now I play Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 in Attack Mode!" Slapping the card down, Horus LV8 appeared, roaring as Yugi said "Horus! Attack Musician King!"  
Horus LV8's mouth began to glow a blackish blue as it then shot a stream of fire forward as Yugi said "Black Flame Inferno!"

The fire wrapped around Johnny's Musician King as he cried out, blowing up, Johnny's LP now at 1100. Téa smiled at that and said "Way to go, Yugi!"

"Yeah... thanks for doing that." Johnny smiled.

"Why are you thanking me for that?" Yugi blinked.

Johnny chuckled. "Oh, you'll see! You'll see..."

"Alright... I set a card down, and end my turn." Yugi said, smiling.

"My turn. Draw!" Johnny drew his next card and then said "I will now activate the Trap Card... Skill Drain!"

Yugi blinked as Johnny said "I know I should be worrying about my Life Points, but with that damned Dragon's effect, I couldn't do a thing. So now... it's sealed, at the cost of 1000 Life Points!" Johnny's LP then dropped from 1100 to 100 as Yugi watched Horus crying out in pain, panting heavily. 'Horus's effect is sealed! Now I can't use Magic Obliteration to stop any of Johnny's Magic Cards!'

"Next, I will play the Magic Card, Mystik Wok! When I offer a Monster on my side of the Field as a Sacrifice, I can call either ATK or DEF, raising my LP by the sacrificed Monster's ATK or DEF! And I choose DEF, so with Spirit of the Harp's Sacrifice, I gain 2000 Life Points!"

MYSTIK WOK

Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Offer 1 Monster on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice. Select the ATK or DEF of the Sacrificed Monster, and increase your Life Points by the same amount.

Johnny's LP was then up to 2100 with the explosion of Spirit of the Harp as Yugi said "Uh-oh!"

"And next... I play Coins from Heaven!" Johnny said as Yugi knew its' effect well since he also used it. Johnny drew 5 cards, since he had 1 card in his hand, but so did Yugi. He and Yugi both drew 5 cards, making their hand size 6 cards now. Johnny saw one card that'd help and he said "I now play my own copy of Monster Reborn! Musician King! Come on back!"

Leaping up in the air, then landing down and playing his guitar, Musician King returned to the Field with style, his ATK at 1750 again thanks to Metalmorph being in the Graveyard. Johnny then took another card from his hand and said "NOW, I PLAY FUSION WEAPON!!!"

Téa looked on and said 'Yugi told me about this card! Since Johnny's Musician King, a Fusion Monster, meets Fusion Weapon's Level requirement of 1 to 6, being a Level 5, he'll get an ATK boost of 1500 points plus a DEF boost of 1500 too!'

Yugi looked in shock as Johnny's Musician King was now at 3250 ATK/3000 DEF in just one shot! But Johnny wasn't done there as he said "I now play my next Magic Card, Trap Reconfiguration! This little number has me discard 2 cards to the Graveyard, then I can reactivate 1 Trap Card in my Graveyard! And you know what I am gonna pick!"

TRAP RECONFIGURATION

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Discard 2 cards in your hand to the Graveyard to activate 1 Trap Card in your Graveyard.

Suddenly, Metalmorph was back onto Johnny's Musician King, its' ATK up at 3550 and its' DEF at 3300! Yugi knew this could mean trouble as Johnny then thrusted his index finger forward. "Musician King! Attack Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!"

Musician King aimed his Fusion Weapon charged arm at Horus, his ATK then shooting up by 1500 points thanks to Metalmorph's effect! Now it was at 5050 as Téa gasped then said "Yugi!!!"

But it was too late! Musician King's attack fired at Horus, smashing it hard as Horus then exploded. Johnny smiled. "With that last play of mine, Yugi, you lose 2050 Life Points, leaving you at 950."

"Nope! You're wrong!" Yugi said. "I play my set card, Nutrient Z!"

Flipping up, Yugi's card showed the image of a kind of capsule with the number 4000 on it as well as a Z and a skull marker on the top of it.

NUTRIENT Z

Normal Trap Card

Effect: This card can only be activated during your opponent's Damage Step. During this turn, if you take Battle Damage of 2000 points or more, increase your Life Points by 4000 points before the damage is subtracted from your Life Points.

"With Nutrient Z, I can only use it during your Damage Step and if I take 2000 points or more of Battle Damage, Johnny. Now, my LP is first gonna go up by 4000 points, to 7000, but then I'll lose the 2050 you said I was gonna lose, putting me at 4950."

'Damn. I forgot how good this guy really is! He knew all along that I was gonna pump up Musician King's ATK! But I guess when he's the King of Duelists, he understands the game so well... so I gotta cut my loss soon, since this could be the end!'

"Alright, Yugi, I end my turn."

Yugi exhaled and said "Alright. My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card and said "I will now place one card face-down and..." He looked at the Monster he was going to summon, the card that could help him clench the Duel if he played his cards right. He thought 'Kuriboh... you trust me, like I trusted in you as a Deck Master. Even if it doesn't seem like you will, you are gonna help me win the Duel.'

"I will play Kuriboh in Attack Mode!" Yugi summoned Kuriboh out, whom looked like his cousin, Hane Kuriboh, only without angel wings. He blinked then said in a cute voice "Kuri". Johnny blinked then laughed. "You summoned that little furball to the Field!? You commiting suicide!?"  
"You'll see, Johnny. I end my turn."

KURIBOH

Dark/Demon/1/300 ATK/200 DEF  
Effect: Discard this card from your hand to make the Battle Damage inflicted to your Life Points by 1 of your opponent's Monsters 0. This effect can only be activated during your opponent's Battle Phase.

Johnny then smiled as he said "My turn then! Draw!" He drew his next card and said "OK! Musician King! ATTACK!!!"

Fusion Weapon began to charge up again, Musician King's ATK rised from 3550 by an additional 150 thanks to Kuriboh's 300 ATK to 3700 as it fired. Yugi then said "Activate Trap Card! Different Dimension Tunnel... MIRROR GATE!!"

Téa blinked, then gasped at this. "Mirror Gate...?"

"I knew deep down you were gonna attack anything I threw down on the Field with Musician King after I saw how you went to great lengths to power it up, Johnny! Mirror Gate is just gonna be a little flip-flop since it can only be used in the Battle Phase! Your Monster becomes mine, mine becomes yours!"

DIFFERENT DIMENSION TUNNEL - MIRROR GATE  
Normal Trap Card

Effect: This card can only be activated when you have a Monster on your side of the Field. Switch control of 1 of your Monsters and 1 of your opponent's Monsters during the Battle Phase of the turn this card is activated. The Battle is then conducted as normal. When a Monster destroyed during the Battle Phase is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, it goes to the Graveyard of its' owner.

Suddenly, Musician King appeared on Yugi's side of the Field, then Kuriboh on Johnny's as Musician King fired right at Kuriboh as Johnny's eyes shrunk. "Oh, no! That means that...!!!"

"Yeah! You took the Battle Damage I was gonna take!"

Kuriboh then exploded, as Johnny cried out, taking a whopping 3400 Battle Damage... too much for his LP of 2100 to take as Yugi smiled and said "That's game!"  
Johnny sighed sadly as Téa cheered, clapping her hands happily as Yugi waved, his cheeks a tad red.

After the Duel, Johnny hung his head and sighed. "I still can't believe all my hard work was tossed down the drain..."

"Hey, come on, Johnny, you were great out there." Téa said, smiling as she patted his shoulder. "You did excellent against Yugi, even better than the last time you Dueled against him."

"I suppose..."

"Hey, I had fun! That's what I think matters... that we had fun with the Duel." Yugi smiled. "I think that a person whom is a true Duelist is someone who can have fun in a Duel, and so much more. Winning is all well and good, but the Duel itself should be fun."

Johnny blinked at this, and Téa just warmly smiled, Yugi smiling also as he had his arms at his sides. Johnny then smiled and said "Well, Yugi, I'll tell you this much. I did have fun in that Duel! I wouldn't have guessed how good you were really at all! Next time, perhaps I could beat you. So, for now... I gotta go! See ya." Johnny waved as he then walked off, Téa and Yugi looking at each other then chuckling as Téa said "Hey, Yugi... do you think you could help me to be a better Duelist?"  
"What brought this on?"  
"Well... seeing you Duel so well, all the times that you have, and I've seen it... it makes me wanna try harder... to do something more outside of my giving support. So could you help?"

Yugi blinked, but then smiled. "That, I can do!" Téa smiled also, as the two friends then walked out, heading for Téa's home. It was unsure of what was going to happen next... but whatever would, it would come well.

To Be Continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Episode 9 - Lovely Daisy and Deadly Rose! Assault of the Nature Spirits

Yugi was just sitting in class, beginning to write his homework carefully. He slowly felt drowsiness overcoming him. He had a hard time getting to sleep the night before... because he just was swamped with homework then also! He then gave into the feeling of lethargy and fell asleep, his head resting on his book. What he saw while asleep... he saw images of an angel, a large muscular one with black and white robes like a Greek toga, with 6 white wiɮgs, and 6 black wings... as well as a woman. He then heard a voice, seeing Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, calling his name.

He groaned as he then heard his teacher shout out. "MR. MUTOH!!!!"

Yugi cried out, falling backwards, groaning as he blushed, everyone in the room save for Téa chuckling at him as he sighed, getting up slowly. It just felt like an ordinary day for Yugi, but... what he didn't know was that the day was going to get much odder than expected!

Yugi just walked out of class, heading off to his locker to get some things out, when he saw something slip out. "Huh?" Yugi replied, leaning down to pick up the object. It was an envelope. He looked in surprise, to see it was addressed to him. Melody, who was getting out of her own class, looked over at her friend and said "Yugi!"

Yugi looked over at her then said "Hey, Melody."

"What's with the envelope? Someone passing notes around the campus?"

"Dunno. It was in my locker when I went to get some stuff. I wonder what it says..."  
Melody smiled and said "Open it up and see! We got some time before class,and I am sure the others had other things to get before class also."

"Good idea." Yugi gulped softly, slowly opening the envelope and pulled out a letter. He was surprised by this, as well as Melody, who leaned over his shoulder softly when he began to read this letter written to him.

"Dear Yugi,

I wanted to say how long I have wanted to meet you. I've watched you from afar, admiring not only your Dueling skills, but your kind heart as well. If you wish to meet me, please come to the campus of Tenyori Academy at around 4 o' clock today, with your Dueling Deck and your Duel Disk.

See you soon,  
Your Secret Admirer"

Yugi blushed at this then said "Wow."

"I agree with you. This was something unexpected. I wonder why at Tenyori Academy though. That is one of the most prestigous schools in all of Domino City. And besides, Yugi, I thought Téa was your girlfriend!"  
Yugi blushed even more at that quote from Melody as he said "No... she's never seen me as anything more than a friend. So, maybe I should try to stop waiting for her to like me, like how she liked the other me, and do something for myself."  
"Uhm... what other you, Yugi?"

'Oh, yeah! Melody doesn't know about the other me!' "Well, it's a long story, but I'll keep it short. I used to have another soul in my Millennium Puzzle. That's it."

"Really?"  
"Yup! Well, I should keep thinking about this, Melody. Bye!" Yugi then bolted off.

Melody blinked at that and said "I guess there's a lot about Yugi and the others I don't know yet. I got to ask more sometime. But for now, I think I should mention this to some of the others."

At lunch, Yugi was still looking at the note, sitting, surprisingly, away from the others. Melody looked over at Taro and Téa, since Joey and Tristan were at work, sanctioned by the school of course, Duke had taken a trip out to the United States for a bit of time, and Bakura wasn't feeling well. "So, it's like I said. Yugi found this note in his locker, and decided he's going to meet his secret admirer at Tenyori Academy."

"Tenyori Academy? Uhm, Mel, Téa, where IS Tenyori Academy...?? I haven't lived here in Domino that long."

Téa looked at Yugi for a moment, frowning some, as Taro said "Téa? Téa? Téa!!!"

Gasping, the young brunette shook her head then said "Well, Tenyori Academy is on one of the other sides of town. It's pretty much the most prestigous school, where only the best and brightest, as well as the richest, can go to get a world-class education. I wonder if this person has seen Yugi in different parts of town, besides just on TV. I wonder why he is going to go do this... it's very odd.."

"Oh, c'mon, Téa! You may not see it, but I do! I've seen it for quite a bit o' time!" Taro replied, sipping his milk.

"What is, Taro?" Melody asked, her hands folded onto her lap as she looked over to the shorter of the two Mutohs.

Taro set his milk bottle down some, then said "Yugi's been crushin' on Téa for a long while now. But he told me she's never accepted him as anything more than a friend, considering he knew how she felt about the other Yugi, aka Atem, so he just kept it inside, and that's it. But I guess now he's sick and tired of waitin' to say what's in his heart since he may assume you still are crushin' over a dead dude, Téa, even if he was kinda like Yugi from what I heard. All in all, it's about YOU being honest with your feelings and that's that!"

Taro then got up slowly, speaking again. "If we're gonna tail Yugi, we gotta do it ninja-like. When Yugi heads off, we follow, OK?"  
Melody and Téa both nodding, with Taro's words ringing in her ears and in her heart as well. She just stood up slowly, then headed off, head hung down some.

After school ws done, Yugi had gone home to get changed as well as to get his Deck and Duel Disk, then, once in his purple buttoned up shirt, and grey slacks, he was off to Tenyori Academy, but unbeknownest to him, Taro in his jacket, a black tanktop, and some faded blue jeans, Téa in a white mini-skirt which stopped about her knees, and a long sleeved black shirt that said "Wave Body" on it, and Melody, who was in a frilly blue and white dress, peeked their heads around the corner, then followed right behind Yugi carefully, so he wouldn't see them coming...

Running along, Yugi looked about the streets on the northern end of Domino City, coming up to a gate, with a plaque along part of the wall that said "Tenyori Private Academy" on it. Yugi looked up and thought 'Here it is...'

He slowly walked into the courtyard, noticing the gate was left open for some reason.

Casually, Yugi looked about the large courtyard, which had marble gracing it, as well as lovely flowers and trees, and even a water fountain. He was in awe of the look of the school, so he looked around still, speaking up some "Hello?"

Téa, Taro, and Melody all peeked around the corner as Téa said "Something about this doesn't sound right... ohhhh, why did Yugi do this?!"  
Melody then said "I already told you. He said he was tired of waiting for you to like him so he decided to do this for himself."

"Girls, we gotta keep it down or else Yugi's gonna know about us bein' here!!"

Yugi looked about, then heard a door open up slowly. He, Melody, Taro, and Téa all looked ahead at the door, and saw a young girl, about Yugi's age, with a long white pleated skirt, a pink blazer, a yellow blouse, and a red bow tied around her neck. This girl had blonde hair, tied into two curly pigtails, with small red ribbons tying her hair up as she smiled. "Glad you came, Yugi!"

"Uh, are you the one who sent me the letter?"

"Actually..." The girl said, the sound of clanking coming from her brown dress shoes. "My friend from Domino High, Sakura, had placed it there for me. My name is Mary Misumi, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Yugi-chan."

'Yugi-chan!?!' Taro, Melody, and Téa both said, looking in surprise at this!

"Yugi... chan...? Me...??" Yugi replied, then shook his head rapidly. "Uhm... how come you wanted me to bring my Deck and my Duel Disk too...?"

Mary stepped downward, then flicked out her Duel Disk, closing it to the ready position. "Well, I wanted to ask an odd thing... if you do not mind. I want to Duel you... and if I win... I... I want you to be my fianceé!"

Everyone looked in shock at this, as Téa was now biting on her palm, which was tensed due to how she was feeling deep inside. Yugi then said "What if I win!? Do I get something outta this if I win!?!"

"Well, you can ask me anything you'd like if you win, Yugi-chan. So, what do you say?" Mary replied, smiling, holding a Deck in her hand.

Yugi then exhaled and said "OK, I'll do it." He pulled his own Deck out and slapped it into the Deck Holder of his Duel Disk, with Mary doing the same as she stood on the stairs, smiling as Yugi looked at her, both saying "Duel!"

Yugi's Life Points - 4000

Mary's Life Points - 4000

Both of them drew their first hand of 5 cards, then Mary said "My turn!" She drew her sixth card, examining her hand carefully. She then took one Monster in her hand and said "I'll summon Arlownay in Defense Mode!"

The summon that Mary had made created what looked to be a smaller Rose Spectre of Dunn, only with a rose red top, light olive green skin, blue hair, a purple batch of rose petals underneath her, as well as dark green thorns around her.

ARLOWNAY

Earth/Plant/3/800 ATK/1000 DEF

"And next up, I will end my turn." She then smiled cutely, then replied "Your move."

"OK then. My turn... draw..." Yugi replied, drawing his sixth card as he looked at his hand, wondering what to do. He then smiled and said "I will play Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in Attack Mode!"

With Yugi's summon, a yellow furred lion like creature with dark brown fur around its' legs, near the ankles, yellow eyes, a giant horn, a long tail, and a fearsome appearance landed on Yugi's side of the Field, roaring.

GAZELLE THE KING OF MYTHICAL BEASTS

Earth/Beast/4/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

"Gazelle, attack Arlownay!" Yugi's command allowed Gazelle to charge forward, who leapt into the air and slashed Arlownay right in half. Yugi then blinked, thinking to himself. 'Is Mary setting me up? Why else would she play Arlownay in Defense Mode...? Can't worry about it now! Gotta be careful.'

"I'll then set one card face-down and end my turn." Yugi replied, a face-down Duel Monsters card appearing in front of him, as he was ready to make his next move.

"My turn. Draw!" Mary called out, smiling sweetly as she said "And now, I play the Magic Card, Thorn's Blockade!"

THORN'S BLOCKADE

Permanent Magic Card

Effect: Select 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. As long as this card is face-up on the Field, the chosen Monster cannot change its' battle position or attack. If the chosen Monster is removed from the Field, this card is destroyed. When this card is destroyed, you and your opponent draw 1 card from your respective Decks, then take 1 card in your respective hands and place them on the bottom of your respective Decks.

Yugi looked in shock as Gazelle suddenly wrapped in thorns, crying out as it tried to struggle out. Yugi then turned to Mary and said "What the-!? What'd you do to Gazelle?!"  
"Your Mythical Beast King is temporarily indisposed of, since he can't attack or change his battle position. That's the beauty of my Nature Spirits. Now it's time for me to bring some insurance in play, Yugi-chan! I play Lord Poison in Attack Mode!"

The summon Mary made had created a wood-like creature appear, with a black thorn around its' eyes... as well as black spikes protruding from its' shoulders, chest, and back, with a long tail and black nails... two of them on each arm.

LORD POISON

Water/Plant/4/1500 ATK/1000 DEF  
Effect: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, Special Summon 1 Plant-Type Monster in your Graveyard except "Lord Poision" on your side of the Field.

"Now, I got just 4 cards left. Next, I set a card face-down and end my turn."

A flash appeared with a large Duel Monsters card in front of her as she smiled. Yugi then drew his next card, now having drawing Fusion sage. He noticed Berfomet in his hand, and said "Alright! I play Fusion Sage!"

Yugi pulled his Deck out, looking around his cards then smiled, getting one of his 2 copies of Polymerization, adding it swiftly to his hand, smiling.

FUSION SAGE  
Normal Magic Card

Effect: Add 1 copy of "Polymerization" from your Deck to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled.

"And now! I am gonna play Polymerization, which I just added to my hand thanks to Fusion Sage, and I'll send Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from my side of the Field and the Berfomet in my hand!"

With the play of Polymerization, Thorn's Blockade withered away, and a red demon with four arms, a black mane, yellow horns, white wings, black fur along its' middle, waist area, and black fur around its' ankles, arms, and chest.

BERFOMET  
Dark/Demon/5/1400 ATK/1800 DEF  
Effect: When this card is Summoned (excluding Flip Summon), you can add 1 "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts" from your Deck to your hand.

Soon, Gazelle and Berfomet swirled together, then out came a twin-headed chimera of some kind, with a snake tail, two heads, one resembling Gazelle, the other the same only with 2 horns like Berfomet's, and white wings as it roared.

"And now, time for you to meet Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!"

CHIMERA THE FLYING MYTHICAL BEAST

Wind/Beast-Fusion/6/2100 ATK/1800 DEF  
"Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts" + "Berfomet"

Effect: If this card is destroyed, you may Special Summon 1 "Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts" or "Berfomet" from your Graveyard to the Field in face-up Attack or Defense Mode.

Mary smiled, and said "Thanks to you destroying Thorn's Blockade, we both get to draw 1 card, then place 1 in our hands to the bottom of our Decks." Both Yugi and Mary drew their cards, as Yugi smiled, then said "I got a special card of mine with the effect of Thorn's Blockade. I will now Special Summon Watapon in Defense Mode!"

A small white furry creature with big blue eyes, and small antenna with white fur at the end appeared on the Field next to Chimera, its' card turned horizontally to indictate it was in Defense Mode. Yugi knew he had to be careful, since he knew nothing about Mary's Deck so far.

WATAPON

Light/Angel/1/200 ATK/300 DEF  
Effect: If this card is added to your hand from your Deck by the effect of a Magic Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster Card, you can Special Summon this card on your side of the Field.

"And then... the bottom of our Decks." Yugi took one card from his hand, which was Curse of Dragon, and placed it on the bottom of his Deck, as Mary did the same with her card of choice. Mary smiled then said "And next... I play my Quickplay Magic Card, Reload! This little beauty lets me add my hand to my Deck, shuffle it, then draw the same number of cards I placed in my Deck! I have 3, so I place 3 in my Deck, then..." Mary pulled her Deck out, shuffling her Deck, then she slapped it back into her Duel Disk, drawing 3 cards to add to her hand, getting back the card she had placed at the bottom of her Deck.

CURSE OF DRAGON  
Dark/Dragon/5/2000 ATK/1500 DEF

RELOAD  
Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Add your hand to your Deck and shuffle it. Then draw the same number of cards that you added to your Deck.

Mary smiled then said "You may continue your turn, Yugi-chan.", followed by a wink.

Yugi blushed for a second at that, while near the gate. Téa looked a tad jealous, but Yugi shook it off and said "Will do! Since I haven't made a Normal Summon, I will! I now play Obnoxious Celtc Guardian in Attack Mode."

Yugi's summon allowed a Monster with brown cloth, tight to his body, green and white armor on his shoulders and chest, elfish ears, blonde hair, a helmet with a celtic style to it, a red dot in the center, with two cresent style shapes along the top of the helmet, sword in one hand, with two gauntlets sans gloves with silver and yellow, beige pants, brown boots, a purple cape, and a blue sash along his sides. He then held his sword in both hands tightly as Yugi smiled softly.

OBNOXIOUS CELTIC GUARDIAN

Earth/Warrior/4/1400 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: This card cannot be destroyed in a battle with Monsters with an ATK of 1900 points or higher (damage calculations apply normally).

"Now, it's my turn to make some damage! Chimera! Attack Lord Poison!" Chimera stampeded across the grounds of Tenyori Academy, and as it came at Lord Poison, Yugi shouted "Impact Dash!!" Chimera then smashed head first into Lord Poison's chest, destroying it with one blow, as Mary's LP dropped by 600 points to 3400 LP. Mary smiled then said "Thanks to Lord Poison's effect, I can now Special Summon 1 Plant-Type Monster other than Lord Poison from my Graveyard to the Field since it was destroyed in battle! And I Special Summon Arlownay in Defense Mode!"

With Mary's summon, Arlownay returned to the Field immediately, arms crossed over her body. Yugi then thrusted his arm forward. "Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack Arlownay!"

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian charged right at Arlownay, leaping up, then slashing her right in half. Mary then said "Trap Card, activate! Photosynthesis!"

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Normal Trap Card

Effect: You can activate this card when a Plant-Type Monster on your side of the Field is destroyed as a result of Battle. Special Summon 1 Plant-Type Monster from your Deck whose Star Level is the same as the destroyed Monster's.

A flash of light overcame where Arlownay was, as a plant began to grow from the sunlight, then out of nowhere, a small sprite with leaves for wings, a brance with leaves in its' hand, its' whole body made of wood, as well as a leaf over its' face, a yellow and green set of robes appeared, floating down.

'What is that card?' Téa whispered to Taro.

'Woodland Sprite. I wonder why Mary's gonna use that... even if her Deck is Plant-themed as it would seem...' Taro whispered back to her.

'I don't know... Yugi... be careful...' Téa had replied, her hand resting against her chest softly.

WOODLAND SPRITE

Earth/Plant/3/900 ATK/400 DEF  
Effect: Send an Equip Magic Card equipped to this Monster to the Graveyard to inflict 500 points of Direct Damage per Equip Magic Card to your opponent's Life Points.

"Turn end." Yugi replied, taking no other course of action. Mary drew her next card, then winked, smiling as she said "Now, I play Pot of Greed!" She quickly drew 2 cards, her hand now at 5 as she smiled, then said "I will now set one card down, and play Rosering of Light!"

Suddenly, a ring of roses, which began to glow, wrapped around Woodland Sprite, its' ATK going up to 1400 points, and its' DEF going up by going up to 900 points.

ROSERING OF LIGHT

Equip Magic Card

Effect: A Plant-Type Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK and DEF by 500 points. When this card is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field.

"Now, I will send Rosering of Light to the Graveyard thanks to Woodland Sprite's effect, and inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to your Life Points!"

Yugi cried out, getting blasted by some light, skidding back some, his LP dropped to 3500 points. Mary then smiled and said "And thanks to Rosering of Light's effect, I can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field! So I destroy your set card. Let's just see what you have done, Yugi-chan!"

Yugi's set down card flipped face-up, and thus revealed was his set card, Different Dimension Tunnel - Mirror Gate, as he cried out, watching it explode into nothing. Mary then smiled, examining her hand as she said "I will now sacrifice Woodland Sprite then summon Purple Violet Sprite!"

In a flash of light, a purple-skinned sprite with red hair, a set of red robes, dark brown Roman-style sandals, violet petals around the ankles of her sandals, smiling.

PURPLE VIOLET SPRITE

Earth/Plant/6/2200 ATK/1600 DEF

Effect: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, send 1 Plant-Type Monster in your hand or on your side of the Field to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card to the Field during your next Standby Phase.

"Violet Sprite, attack Chimera!" Purple Violet Sprite raised her hands up, then shot a series of petals forward, which circled around Chimera, then impaled him, dropping Yugi's LP to 3400 now. "Now you activate Chimera's effect. I get to Special Summon either Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts or Berfomet from my Graveyard! And I choose Berfomet!"

Berfomet returned to the Field, kneeling down, its' arms crossed over its' body.

"Well, this is intriguing. Now I end my turn." Mary smiled sweetly. "I can see it now, Yugi-chan... when we get married, can we please have all kinds of flowers all over the church so we can celebrate the beauty they have!?"

"Hey, wait, we aren't getting married yet! And if I have anything to say about it, I'm not going to lose so easily." Yugi then drew his next card, examining his hand. He nodded, then said "I will now sacrifice Watapon and Berfomet to summon a stronger Monster!"

In a flash, Berfomet and Watapon were gone as Yugi showed his card of choice to Mary. "So I summon Buster Blader in Attack Mode!"

Yugi's summon allowed a large dark blue and gold armored warrior with a large golden handled sword to take the Field, arms crossed as he landed down next to Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, his red eyes looking over at Mary's side of the Field.

BUSTER BLADER  
Earth/Warrior/7/2600 ATK/2300 DEF  
Effect: The ATK of this card increases by 500 points for every Dragon-Type Monster on your opponent's side of the Field and in his/her Graveyard.

"Buster Blader! Attack Purple Violet Sprite!" Buster Blader heard his Duelist's controller's command, then charged right at Purple Violet Sprite, pulling his large dragonslayer's sword, and slashed her in half, dropping Mary's LP to 3200 points. Mary took a card from her hand and slipped it into the Graveyard as she said "Now I get to activate Purple Violet Sprite's effect. So I had to discard a Plant-Type Monster from my hand to the Graveyard to use it. But you'll see the results soon, Yugi-chan!"

Yugi blinked then said "Now you're just wide open! Obnoxious Celtic Guardian! Attack her Life Points directly!" Obnoxious Celtic Guardian then ran quickly towards Mary, leaping up to slash at Mary, but then Mary said "Trap Card! Plant Barrier!"

PLANT BARRIER  
Continuous Trap Card

Effect: While this card is face-up on the Field, you can remove 1 Plant-Type Monster in your Graveyard from play during your opponent's Battle Phase to reduce any Battle Damage inflicted to your Life Points to 0.

"I will now remove Lord Poison in my Graveyard from play to protect my Life Points!" Suddenly, a series of thorns appeared around her, blocking Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's sword, as she smiled. "There we go... now I'm safe."

"For now. Next I'll set a card face-down to end my turn." Yugi now had only 3 cards in his hand... just a bit of nervousness on his face since he knew he could possibly lose, but then he smiled, remembering he was having fun.

'Yugi, please... I... I...'

Taro looked at Téa and whispered 'Téa, you OK?'

'Ye-yeah... I guess I am trying to be honest about my feelings like you suggested I do... and... I just wanna shout out to Yugi to give it his all. Should we...?'

'It is your call, Taro. After all, Yugi's your family.' Melody replied.

'Let's do it!' Taro shot up, Téa and Melody rushing behind as Taro shouted "COME ON YUGI!! YOU CAN DO IT!!"

Yugi and Mary looked in surprise, turning to see Taro, Melody, and Téa standing behind Yugi. Blinking, the King of Duelists then said "Taro? Melody? Téa?"

"Yugi, you can win this! You're known as the King of Duelists after all." Melody had said, holding her hands down near her waist.

Téa looked a bit embarassed then smiled. "You know, Yugi, as odd as this may sound... during your Duel with Atem, deep down, I wanted you to win... even if I knew I at times wanted Atem to win... but as much as it hurt, I wanted you to win."

"Téa..."

"So show me the kind of power you've gained since that day!" Téa shouted happily.

Yugi smiled and said "OK!"

"My turn. Draw." Mary drew her next card, as she said "Come back, Purple Violet Sprite!"

Purple Violet Sprite returned to the Field, landing down in front of Mary as she then smiled and said "Next I activate the Magic Card, Magical Fertilizer!"

MAGICAL FERTILIZER

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Offer 1 Monster on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice to Special Summon 1 Plant-Type Monster from your hand or Deck to the Field. The Special Summoned Monster cannot attack during this turn, and must meet summoning requirements.

Suddenly, a blast of light shot around Purple Violet Sprite as Mary smiled then said "I will now Special Summon... Lovely Daisy from my Deck to the Field!"

In a flash of light, Mary slapped down a card, which revealed a white petaled daisy, which opened slowly to show a long haired woman of great beauty, her blonde hair cascading all over the front of her body, lips that were red, green vines connecting her body to the large daisy flower, as she smiled.

LOVELY DAISY

Light/Plant/8/2700 ATK/2100 DEF  
Effect: Offer 1 Plant-Type Monster on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice to destroy 1 card on your opponent's side of the Field. This effect can only be used once per turn. When this card destroys 1 of your opponent's Monsters as a result of Battle, increase your Life Points by the base ATK of the destroyed Monster Card.

Mary took another card from her hand and said "Now I play Graceful Charity!" Mary quickly drew 3 cards, her hand now at 4 cards as she looked at what she had to do next and nodded, discarding two Monsters, then keeping her lone Magic Card and remaining Monster left over in her hand. She smiled then said "Next, I will play Roses of Blessing!"

With Mary's play, a beautiful field of flowers appeared on the Field as Yugi looked about, confused. "What the...?"

"Well, Roses of Blessing has this effect after I get a Plant-Type Monster on the Field, then pay 800 Life Points... you have 2 choices, Yugi-chan. Either we both draw until we get 6 cards in hand, then discard the number of cards we have drawn to the Graveyard from our Decks, or I get to Special Summon up to 2 Plant-Type Monsters from my Graveyard to the Field.. Well?"

ROSES OF BLESSING

Normal Magic Card

Effect: This card cannot be activated unless you have a Plant-Type Monster on your side of the Field. Pay 800 Life Points. After this card is activated, your opponent chooses one of the followings effects and resolve it;  
-Both players draw until they have 6 cards in their hands, then discard the same number of cards drawn from their Decks to their respective Graveyards.

-You Special Summon up to 2 Plant-Type Monsters from your Graveyard to the Field.

Mary's Life Points had dropped from 3200 to 2400 as she smiled. "What will you choose?"

"I... I choose the first effect!"

"Man, that musta been hard to do!" Taro exhaled. "One of two effects, and Yugi's gotta choose the effect!? Man, Mary gets a benefit either way, even if she's gotta lose LP to use the effect of Roses of Blessing..."

Melody nodded. "I wonder if she may be toying with Yugi..."

"Mmmm..." Téa softly replied, holding her hands together, hoping Yugi would win the Duel.

Yugi and Mary both drew cards, Yugi getting 3 new cards, his cards being Winged Kuriboh, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, and Cyclone. None of these could help him at the moment, so he then took 3 cards from his Deck, Sinister Serpent, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Alpha the Magnet Warrior, placing them into his Graveyard.

Mary drew 5 cards, then placed 5 cards from her Deck into her Graveyard. Yugi then looked over to Mary and said "Just because you replenished your hand may not help you too much, you know."

"But you're wrong, Yugi-chan. It will. I play Lekunga in Attack Mode!"

Mary's summon created a green orb of a kind, with protruding tentacles, some with spikes on the ends, and a red eye in the center. Mary then smiled and said "I will next use Lekunga's effect, removing 2 Water Attribute Monsters in my Graveyard from play! My two Monsters... are 2 copies of Tentacle Plant!" Two cards slipped out of Mary's Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, as suddenly, a smaller Lekunga floated right next to Lekunga, flailing a bit.

LEKUNGA  
Water/Plant/4/1700 ATK/500 DEF

Effect: Remove 2 WATER Attribute Monsters in your Graveyard from play to Special Summon 1 "Lekunga Token" (Plant-Type/WATER Attribute/Level 2/ATK 700/DEF 700) in Attack Mode on your side of the Field.

TENTACLE PLANT

Water/Plant/2/500 ATK/600 DEF

"Lekunga! Attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Lekunga charged at Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, slamming its' tentacle hard into the elven swordsman, destroying him, and dropping Yugi's LP by 300 points to 3200. Mary then winked and said "Now I play Flower Rush! Normally, my Lovely Daisy couldn't attack, but this lets a Plant-Type Monster attack regardless of Magic or Trap Card effects, but I must discard a card to the Graveyard and once I attack, my Monster goes to Defense Mode."

Mary took a card in her hand and discarded it to the Graveyard quickly and smiled.

FLOWER RUSH

Quickplay Magic Card  
Effect: Discard 1 card in your hand to the Graveyard to allow 1 Plant-Type Monster on your side of the Field to attack regardless of the effects of Magic, Trap, or Effect Monster Cards and conditions. After the attack, your Monster is changed to Defense Mode.

"Lovely Daisy! Attack Buster Blader!" Lovely Daisy raised her arms up, channeling sunlight into the palms of her hands as she shot a blast of energy, forward, destroying Buster Blader, and dropping Yugi's LP to 3100. Mary smiled, raising her arm up as she said "And thanks to Lovely Daisy destroying your Monster, I gain 2600 Life Points." Mary's Life Point Counter began to blip, her Life Points going up to 5000 now thanks to her Daisy's effect. And thus, Daisy's petals covered her as she had gone to Defense Mode.

"And now, your Life Points are open! Lekunga Token! Attack his Life Points directly!" The smaller of the Lekungas shot right at Yugi, smacking him hard in the gut. Yugi cried out some, panting a bit as his Life Points were now at 2400 points, where Mary's LP was just briefly ago. Yugi looked over then stood up slowly, regaining his composure.

Mary smiled sweetly, then bowed. "Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, Sinister Serpent added back to his hand via its' effect, as he was now examining his hand as he looked at his set card. 'I gotta be careful with my set card. As low as my LP is getting, I gotta be smart... but maybe... Yeah! I can buy some time! I can do it!'

"Mary, I just wanted to tell you what fun this Duel has been, even with weird odds. Now, I play Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!"

In a flash of light, and its' Duel Monsters card turned horizontally, Winged Kuriboh took to the Field, letting out a cute "Kuri!" cry, as Mary smiled, then shouted "Ooooohhhhh! It's so cute!"

"It's even cuter than the original!" Téa replied, holding her hands together as she smiled sweetly, Melody giggling in joy at seeing how cute Winged Kuriboh was.

"I will set a card face-down... and end my turn." Yugi smiled, his two cards next to one another, one for the other.

Mary smiled then said "My turn." Drawing her next card, Mary spoke again. "I'm sorry I need to get rid of that cutie of a Monster, but I need to do this while I can! Lekunga Token! Attack Winged Kuriboh!"

The Lekunga Token charged to the Field, then smashed Winged Kuriboh. In a cry of "Kuriii!!", Hane Kuriboh exploded, as Mary said "And now! Lekunga! Attack!" Lekunga charged in towards Yugi, but then, an afterimage of Winged Kuriboh appeared, blocking its' attack. Mary blinked at the sight and muttered. "What happened...? How come Lekunga's attack didn't go through...?"

"Winged Kuriboh's effect. When it was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I was able to protect my Life Points since all my Battle Damage is 0 now... so I can get another turn. But now I am gonna activate my set Trap Card from earlier! Come on, Raigeki Break!!"

RAIGEKI BREAK  
Normal Trap Card

Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 card on the Field.

"With Raigeki Break's effect, I'll discard one card from my hand to the Graveyard... and destroy your Lovely Daisy!"

Yugi took Sinister Serpent from his hand, then a blast of thunder wrapped around Lovely Daisy as she cried out, then exploded into dust as Mary looked in shock. "Lovely Daisy... no..."

"Sorry to destroy your best Monster, but I know that it was a threat, so I had to get rid of it."

"Oh, but she will be back... I now pay 500 Life Points, and I Special Summon... Deadly Rose!" With the cost of Mary's LP now being at 4500, a black rose appeared on the Field, between Lekunga and the Lekunga Token as it opened, showing a darker looking Lovely Daisy, with blood red lips still, dark purple hair, black rose petal-like armor... and an evil smirk on her face. This was her darker side... Deadly Rose.

DEADLY ROSE

Dark/Plant/10/3200 ATK/2600 DEF

Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard except by paying 500 Life Points when a face-up "Lovely Daisy" on your side of the Field is destroyed and sent from the Field to the Graveyard. Discard 1 Monster Card in your hand to destroy 1 face-up Monster Card on your opponent's side of the Field. Discard 1 Magic or Trap Card in your hand to destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field. These effects can only be used once per turn.

"Now... you're going to face a darker Monster than before, Yugi! But for now... I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, then grabbed Sinister Serpent from his Graveyard to his hand, adding it in to make a total of 7 cards. Yugi's next drawn card was Fissure. The problem was, he couldn't use it without having to worry about Lekunga or its' Token. Yugi then noticed a card he'd drawn last turn... 'Penguin Soldier. Its' Flip Effect will help, if Mary attacks like I am gonna assume she will.' He then ended his thinking process, nodded and said "I will set one Monster face-down and end my turn."

"He set a Monster? Does it mean Yugi has a Flip Effect Monster waiting in the ropes?" Melody asked.

"Yeah. At this point, Yugi is going to need it. If he doesn't do something fast, he's in big trouble since Mary can then wipe his Life Points out once his Monster is gone, then win the Duel!" Taro replied.

"Yugi does have one. It'll save him. I can just feel it." Téa replied. "I am close to him, Taro." She then smiled at Yugi's cousin and spoke again. "You see, I saw the stronger sides of Yugi the times he Dueled without Atem... even if most of the Duels ended with him making a sacrifice of a kind. Here, Yugi is at his best, just having fun. He wants to win, but he wants to have more fun also. That is why he is trying to bide his time."

"Well... makes sense..." Taro replied, scratching his head in surprise at how Téa was so... calm at the moment when it came to the Duel.

"My turn." Mary drew her next card and smiled, flicking her hair as she said "Deadly Rose! Time for you to show your work, beauty! Attack Yugi's face-down Monster with Death Forest!"

Deadly Rose raised her arms up, then slashed them downward, thousands of thorns, ripping into Yugi's face-down Monster! Penguin Soldier was then revealed... a small blue-furred penguin, with red and yellow shoulder armor, and a small sword appeared, sqwuaking happily as Yugi smiled.

PENGUIN SOLDIER  
Water/Aqua/3/750 ATK/500 DEF  
Effect: Flip: You can return up to 2 Monster Cards from the Field to their owner's hand.

"I knew it! And since you flipped up Penguin Soldier, Mary, I get to use its' effect! I'll return Lekunga to your hand, and your Lekunga Token is now bye-bye!" Penguin Soldier slashed the air, blowing Lekunga back to Mary's hand, and the Lekunga Token away since Tokens could not go to a player's hand or the Graveyard.

Mary then blinked and thought 'No way... did he plan this? Did he know I'd attack with Rose because of her ATK by 3200 points? He's the King of Duelists, true, but Yugi-chan couldn't be that good! Could he...?' She shook her head quickly, then exhaled. "I end my turn."

"My turn!" Yugi drew his next card and said "Now, I play Fissure! This Magic Card allows me to destroy 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field with the lowest ATK, and since Rose is your only Monster, she's out of here!"

FISSURE

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Destroy your opponent's face-up Monster with the lowest ATK.

A crack in the earth opened, blowing underneath Deadly Rose as she cried out, disappearing into the earth, leaving Mary's Life Points open... but she still had Plant Barrier in play. Mary then smiled sweetly, reminding Yugi of this by saying "Don't forget, Yugi-chan, I have Plant Barrier in play, so my Life Points are safe."

"Nope. It's toast as of now! I play Cyclone from my hand, and my target is Plant Barrier!" A cyclone of wind wrapped around Plant Barrier, destroying as Yugi said "And now your Life Points are open! I remove Hane Kuriboh and Breaker the Magical Warrior in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon 1 of my strongest Monsters!" Hane Kuriboh and Breaker's cards slipped out of Yugi's Graveyard as Yugi held up his Monster of choice.

"Come on out! Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!!!"

BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER - ENVOY OF THE BEGINNING

Light/Warrior/8/3000 ATK/2500 DEF  
Effect: This card can only first be Special Summoned by removing 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK Monster in your Graveyard from play. Once during each of your turns, you can select and activate one of the following effects;

-Remove one Monster on the Field from play. If you activate this effect, this card cannot attack during this turn.

-If this card destroys one of your opponent's Monsters as a result of Battle, it can attack again once in a row.

Yugi slapped down his Monster Card, and out of a bridge of light came a blue and golden armored warrior, an eagle-like head on his chest plate, a sword and a shield in hand as well as a small red ponytail and slight pale skin, as he opened his eyes, then slashed the air. Taro looked in shock and said "One of the Envoys!? Oh, no way! I didn't think Yugi would have had one!"

"What is this you are talking about, Taro? You sound... scared..." Melody had said, resting her hand on his shoulder.

"With good reason, Mel! Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning and Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End are two of the stronger cards in Duel Monsters. Both are Envoys to life and death, and such, their power is derived from chaos! Both are very powerful, even if tough to get out. And Yugi managed to get out the Envoy of the Beginning..."

"I... I never knew that Yugi would have such a strong Monster in his Deck..." Téa gasped in surprise.

"I also Normal Summon Sinister Serpent in Attack Mode!"

The green serpentine, bird-winged lizard floated right next to Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, as Yugi was now ready to strike back with force. "Black Luster Soldier, Sinister Serpent, attack her Life Points directly!"

Both of Yugi's Monsters charged forward, Black Luster Soldier slashing Mary, and Sinister Serpent ramming its' head into her, her Life Points dropped from 4500 to 1200 with just that done! Yugi smiled as he said "And now... I end my turn."

"My turn then." Mary drew her next card, looking in surprise to see she had drawn... Monster Reborn! 'This could be it', she thought! 'If I use Monster Reborn, I can Special Summon back Lovely Daisy... then have him destroy it so I can Special Summon Deadly Rose and decimate him! Then you'll be all mine, Yugi-chan! Once you're my fianceé, we can begin planning the wedding!'

"For my next move, Yugi-chan! I will play Monster Reborn!" With a flash, Monster Reborn appeared on the Field as Yugi smiled and said "Perfect timing! Because I activate my Counter Trap Card! Solemn Judgment!" Raising his arm forward, Yugi's card flipped up to show the image of a god with a long white beard and hair, bright white robes, and raising his arm forward, two blonde haired angels next to him in the back. This was what Yugi waited for, a chance to use Solemn Judgment's effect and stop Mary in her tracks! He could have waited, but the Duel was almost done, so now was a good time to take a risk of using it!

SOLEMN JUDGMENT

Counter Trap Card  
Effect: Pay half of your Life Points when your opponent either activates a Magic or Trap Card or summons a Monster to negate the action and destroy the card involved.

Suddenly, the god and the angels on the card art of Solemn Judgment appeared, as the god raised his hand, shattering Monster Reborn before Mary could Special Summon back Lovely Daisy. Mary gasped as she thought 'Oh, no! Yugi-chan's won!... I... I don't have anything in my hand to counter with!'

Yugi exhaled, his Life Points now at 1200 as Mary then said "I end my turn."  
Yugi looked at her and said "My turn. Draw." He drew his next card, then said "Black Luster Soldier! Attack Mary's Life Points directly!"

Black Luster Soldier leapt into the air, then came down towards the earth, light wrapped around his sword as Yugi said "Neo Chaos Blade!!" With the slamming of his blade, a blast of light shot forward at Mary, as she closed her eyes, had her arms extended from her body, then received the attack, 3000 points worth, her 1200 Life Points dropped to 0 in that blow. Yugi exhaled, as the Duel Monsters he had in play disappeared, and he rushed to Mary.

"Are you OK?"

Mary looked at Yugi then said "Yeah, I'm alright, Yugi-cha... I mean, Yugi. I'm sorry about all of this... I just... well..."

"What, Mary? Why did you want to do this?" Yugi asked, as Téa, Taro, and Melody walked up, Taro nodding. "Yeah! I mean, wanting Yugi to be your fianceé seems a tad extreme when you think about it! Those are some odd stipulations for a Duel!"

"I did it perhaps because I felt desperate! I just... wanted to have such an honor as being the Queen of Duelists... so if I had beaten the King, Yugi, and made him my fianceé, that'd have made me his Queen, since I could have made him happy. If you hate me, I understand, Yugi... what I did today was a bit dishonest..."

Yugi smiled as he said "Yeah, but you are a nice person, Mary. I could always use more friends if you don't mind! And you are quite strong as a Duelist! You had me on the ropes there at times, and I had fun! That's all that matters to me."

Mary smiled at this and said "Yugi..." She then sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Thank you."

"Yugi...?" Téa said softly, her right hand rubbing her left arm as Yugi turned to her. "Hmm? What's up, Téa?"

"I... what I said earlier was true. I may have liked Atem, but I guess because he was like you, just courageous. But the things you've done... those have taken real courage too... deep down, I did wish you might have been gone... but once I saw that occur, I hated myself because of it, because I missed you. But... I just am glad you're still yourself!" Téa then knelt down and hugged Yugi, who just stood there, cheeks red, looking at her as she hung onto him. Taro playfully rubbed his nose, while Melody smiled, and Mary looked at them. 'This Téa girl... could she be...? Is she Yugi's...?'

But at this time, Yugi and company were just wondering about the scene in front of them... as now... another battle was done, and a new friend was made. Yugi was seeing that Duel Monsters was meant to be this way; having fun against your opponents, then making friends out of them. All in all, the key to the game was trust and respect, both of which Yugi showed greatly as he still sought to prove himself worthy to be Atem's successor, as well as to find his own ideals of a True Duelist... so he could grow truly.

-To Be Continued...-


	10. Chapter 10

Episode 10 - A Hot Blooded Duel In A Chinese Restaurant! The Cook's Odd Strategies

The Chenmen Restaurant, one of the hottest Chinese-themed restaurants in all of Domino City, was especially busy today, on a Saturday, and that's because Lee Seiron was working the woks that day! Due to his decision to stay in Japan, partially because he liked it and he could train there, but also because he didn't have money to get home to Hong Kong, he had come aboard at Chenmen to earn some money. He smiled as he worked the woks furiously, flipping and tossing chicken, spring peas, snowpeas, bell peppers, and garlic as he whistled happily.

Yugi, Taro, Suki, and Solomon had gone to the Chenmen Restaurant to have a nice lunch, as well as the fact that Yugi wanted to see Lee in action since he had heard some word from school about this.

"Hey! I see Lee!" Taro spoke up, his hand over his eyebrow so he could get a better look over the large crowd of people. Yugi smiled at this and nodded. "I see him too. Man, he is good!"

"Oh, this reminds me of when I was in Hong Kong! They do this kind of show so often with a wok that it is amazing!" Solomon replied. Suki giggled and said "Oh, Dad. You can be so silly sometimes. I do wish Yuu was here with us."

"Yeah! How long has it been off the top of your head since I saw Uncle Yuu, Yugi?" Taro asked his cousin, standing right next to him.

"I don't know. Dad's been away on business for a while now... I wonder what's taking him so long." Yugi said, looking a bit nostalgic.

Carrying out some plates to tables, Lee looked over and was surprised for a moment! "Yugi! Taro! What are you guys doing here?!"

"Getting some lunch, Lee-man!" Taro grinned. "Need an assist?"  
"Naw, I got it covered. Listen, there should be a table available. Grab it fast, 'cause they're going like dim sum trays!" Quickly, but carefully, Lee then moved towards the table he was waiting, as the Mutohs all grabbed their table as fast as they could.

Looking in the back, however, was the head chef of the Chenmen Restaurant, Head Chef, Chen. He gently adjusted his chef's hat, with his white uniform on, arms crossed as he glared at Lee, as Lee began chatting up with some of the customers, laughing as he did. Chen then said to himself 'That damn brat. He's making me look bad in my own restaurant. How dare he! He's just some punk from Hong Kong, and I am the head chef. But I at least know something... I want to give our audience a show soon... so I think I will take this punk on.'

"Thank you, thank you. No, you folks enjoy your meals! I'll give your compliments to all the guys in back!" Lee chuckled, as he walked backwards, rubbing his head as he then bumped into something and blinked. He turned and said "Mr. Chen! Uh... what's happening, sir?"  
"I want to have a word with you, Lee."

"About...?"

"Plenty. One thing is for sure, I don't need an upstart from Hong Kong impressing the customers more than I do so, Lee. I'll give you a choice. You can leave gracefully, now, or I send you out on your butt! Which will it be?"

"Neither, sir. See, I like this place, and you hired me, knowing full well my skills since I've worked in restaurants in Hong Kong before. So I don't see why I should leave when I've done nothing wrong except possibly hurt your ego?"

Chen had felt that comment hit him like a ton of bricks, as he then punched Lee across the cheek as everyone in the restaurant turned in surprise. Lee had turned just right, but that still hurt him.

"Fine! You don't want to leave!? Let's do this! We're gonna put on a show for the folks, Lee! But it won't be with woks, it'll be with Duel Disks!"  
Lee blinked after wiping the blood from his lip. "Say what? I didn't suspect a guy like you to play Duel Monsters."

Chen smirked and turned his back to Lee. "Tell one of the others to get the tables set up... at least two. We're Dueling on them..."

After some time, getting things set up, as well as Lee and Chen getting their Duel Disks set up, every patron in the restaurant looked on in surprise. Yugi blinked and said "I didn't see this coming! And who knew that a chef could play Duel Monsters also! This is going to be one of the weirdest things of all."

"Hey, it's not that odd, Yugi." Taro replied, arms behind his head. "I've heard of a guy who uses a Deck centered around Tennis in another part of Japan... but they are just rumors after all!"

Solomon chuckled as he looked on. "I'd like to see Lee's true skill. I sadly never got to see his Duel with you, Yugi, so seeing him Duel here will be good."

"Yeah, I hope!" Yugi replied.

Suki looked on and said "This Lee fellow is a friend to you and Taro, Yugi?"

"He's all the way from Hong Kong, and came here to Duel against me, Mom. But now we are friends." Yugi smiled at his mother, then turned back to the Duel.

Lee raised his arm up, the same arm that had his Duel Disk on and said "Ready when you are, Mr. Chen." He then slapped his Deck into his Duel Disk as Chen smiled and did the same, all of the sous-chefs from the back and customers, including Yugi, Taro, Suki, and Solomon, all watched as Lee and Chen both said "DUEL!!"

"My turn! Draw!" Lee said, drawing his sixth card. He looked over his whole hand carefully, figuring out what he wanted to lead off with. He then made his choice, grabbing his Monster of choice and saying "I summon Master Kyonshee in Attack Mode!"

A Monster with a blue long coat-tailed Mandarin shirt, and yellow Mandarin pants appeared, with this Monster having light blue skin with long pinkish-red fingernails, a blue Chinese hat, a black ponytail, and a slip of paper on its' face with a Chinese character written in blood red ink. The Monster had its' arms out, as if it were a zombie... and literally, it was!

MASTER KYONSHEE  
Earth/Zombie/4/1750 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I'll set a card face-down, and end my turn." Lee replied, his Duel Monsters card appearing behind Master Kyonshee. "Let's see what you can do about this, chef!"

"Very well." Chen drew his own card, looking at his full size hand for ideas. He then took a card and smiled. "I play Burger Chef in Attack Mode!"

The unusual Monster that Chen summoned had a griddle locked onto where his right hand would be, and had a red chef's hair on as well as a black jumpsuit, with the symbol for "Cook" on the upper right pectoral of his chef's uniform as the pink-skinned pig like creature cackled.

BURGER CHEF

Earth/Warrior/3/900 ATK/0 DEF

Effect: This card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. When this card uses this effect, it is changed to Defense Mode and its' battle position cannot be changed during your next turn.

"Burger Chef, invoke your effect and attack his Life Points directly!!" Chen shouted, with Burger Chef nodding, as he slapped down a hamburger patty onto its' griddle arm, cooking the patty until it was black and hard as charcoal, then shot it forward, smashing Lee, and dropping his Life Points from 8000 to 7100 in one shot! Lee coughed a bit and said "OK, now that I didn't suspect coming! What was that all about?"

"Simple. Burger Chef can attack your Life Points directly, but then it goes to Defense Mode once I'm done." Burger Chef turned then kneeled down, smirking. Chen then took a card from his hand and said "I will next play the Magic Card, Elegant Dining Table!!"

Suddenly, below Lee and Chen's feet, a large table with candles set up as well as fancy glasses and plates appeared as Chen smiled. "Elegant Dining Table is a simple Magic Card. As long as it's on the Field, I can pay 400 Life Points to add 1 card to my hand from my Deck. But if I do so, you get to draw 1 card! And if I get out another Monster of mine with 'Chef' in its' card name, Normal, Flip, or Special Summon, while it's in play, I can discard 1 card of yours to the Graveyard."

ELEGANT DINING TABLE

Permanent Magic Card

Effect: Only one copy of this card can exist on the Field at a time. As long as this card is face-up on the Field, at the cost of 400 Life Points, you can add 1 card from your Deck to your hand, but if you do so, your opponent draws 1 card. If you Normal Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon a Monster that has "Chef" in its' card name, discard 1 card of your opponent's in his/her hand to the Graveyard. When this card is destroyed while on the Field, every card on your side of the Field is removed from play.

"Next, I'll set a card down and end my turn." Chen just smirked then said to himself 'You won't last that long, kid! As soon as I get my set card in play, I'll screw you over with my card's own effect!'

"My turn!" Lee drew his next card and smiled, seeing he got Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter, a creature with a Bruce Lee-like appearance, save for he was a rat (well, techically a mouse)!!

CHU-SKE THE MOUSE FIGHTER

Earth/Beast/3/1200 ATK/0 DEF

"I summon Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter in Attack Mode!" Chu-ske flipped down next to Master Kyonshee, punching and kicking at the air as he then said "Aooooowwwwwwaaaa..." much like Bruce Lee might have done if he were alive. Lee followed up his move, by thrusting his arm forward and smiled.

"You made one mistake when you play your Burger Chef! My set card is handy for Monsters with weak Defense, so I'm gonna make you pay for your earlier move of punching me ungraciously, Chef Chen! Trap Card! Meteorain!"

Yugi smiled as he said "Alright, Lee! Good move! This should give him a big lead!"

"Yeah! Kick his ungrateful ass, Lee!" Taro shouted out, his hands over the sides of his mouth. Lee looked to his friends, gave them a thumbs up, then smiled. "OK! Chu-ske, attack Burger Chef, now!"

Chu-ske pulled back, then charged, kicking Burger Chef hard in the chest, destroying him, and inflicting 1200 points of Battle Damage to Chen's Life Points, dropping him from 8000 to 6800 in one shot! Chen glared as Lee then continued his Battle Phase. "Master Kyonshee! You're on now! Hit him with a direct attack!"

Master Kyonshee leapt over towards Chen then kicked him hard in the gut, dropping his Life Points by 1750 points to 5050 in one shot. Chen coughed and gritted his teeth as he pushed his somewhat portly body up, then stroked his beard. Lee then pointed at Chen and said "You made a mistake playing me at my own game, Mr. Chen. And besides, I figured you'd be happy about me working at Chenmen since I managed to pull in the most customers so far!"

"Feh. I just am not in the mood to be upstaged by a kid. I figured you'd not have had the skills to at least work so well here! I figured you'd screw up on day one, but I guess I pay the price for messing that one up! So, I'll fire you once I beat you! Then the only one I can worry about beating is myself as I improve!"

Lee sweatdropped, his eyes slightly narrowed as he said "OK, you really, REALLY have some delusions of grandeur, mister! What's the point of getting better if you aren't gonna lose to someone else!? That's what it's all about! You get better by losing to others so you can push yourself even further than before! That's how I was when I started out! In everything I did; Duel Monsters, martial arts, school, cooking, taking care of my brothers while Mom was at work... I screwed up at first, found out I had to grow due to someone better bein' out there! And I'm gonna kick your patookie all over the floor to get you to see that! So for now, I end my turn."

"Fine. You don't get it. The only competition one has is themselves! My turn!" Chen drew his next card and then said "I will now invoke the effect of my Elegant Dining Table, and add 1 card from my Deck to my hand!" Chen yanked his Deck out of his Duel Disk, then pulled out a Magic Card... Setting the Table. "And as you know, you get to draw a card."

SETTING THE TABLE

Normal Magic Card

Effect: When this card is activated, add 1 Monster with "Chef" in its' card name or that is named "The Bistro Butcher" and 1 copy of "Clearing the Table" from your Deck to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled. After this, your opponent gets to set 1 Magic or Trap Card face-down from their hand.

Lee drew a card, a bit confused by why Chen let him draw a card. Chen then smirked, and said "TRAP CARD, ACTIVATE!!! APPROPRIATE!!" Chen slammed his foot on the table, as Appropriate flipped face-up. Lee's eyes widened, now coming to realize why Chen set this up; to strengthen his hand size.

Chen drew 2 cards quickly, smiling with his hand size now being at 6 cards once more thanks to Elegant Dining Table and Appropriate! But of course, his Life Points were now 4650 due to the cost for Elegant Dining Table's effect.

"Next, I play Setting the Table!" Suddenly, Lee looked about as suddenly, hundreds of chefs and waiters appeared, setting plates and such onto the Elegant Dining Table, and Chen added 2 cards to his hand. "Now, I have the effect in play! I get to add 1 Monster with 'Chef' in the card name or Bistro Butcher to my hand, and one copy of Clearing the Table!! Now, I play Bistro Butcher in Attack Mode! But... you get to set a card face-down from your hand if you wish..."

Lee nodded, then took Negate Attack, setting it down as he smiled. "There."

Chen's summon produced a blue skinned demon with a hook where his left hand should have been, a butcher's knife in the right hand, and red chef's gear, save for black shoes. He took his knife and licked it, cackling as he did.

THE BISTRO BUTCHER

Dark/Fiend/4/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

Effect: When this card inflicts Battle Damage on your opponent's Life Points, he/she must draw 2 cards.

"Bistro Butcher, attack!!!" Chen cried out fiercely, as Bistro Butcher charged at Chu-ske. Lee then said "Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack!" Bistro Butcher stopped inches in front of Chu-ske, as Lee exhaled and said "You helped me out with that, Mr. Chen, so I appreciate you playing Setting The Table!"

"Feh. No problem. I'll just place a card face-down and end my turn!"

Lee then drew his next card and looked at his hand. He wondered what he could do... since Pot of Greed was in his hand and he wanted to use it. But with Appropriate, Chen would draw. But then Lee smiled and nodded. "I play Pot of Greed!"

"What?! Is Lee crazy!? If he uses..." Taro stopped himself and said "Yugi, you think he's...?"  
"Yeah. He's gonna try to do it..."

Suki blinked at this, still not completely understanding Duel Monsters as she said "Yugi, honey, what is Lee attempting?"  
"Well, Mom, you see, one way to win in Duel Monsters is decking out a person so they can't draw. What Lee's gonna try is to see if he can draw so many times that Chen gets too many cards and loses his whole Deck... let's just hope he can do it."

Lee drew his two cards, then Chen scoffed, drawing 4 cards in response. Lee now had 6 cards in his hand, and Chen had 10. Lee saw no other card drawing cards but he saw a stronger Monster to use. He nodded and said "I will now sacrifice Master Kyonshee and Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter to summon forth Monkey Fist in Attack Mode!"

Lee's summon began with Master Kyonshee and Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter disappearing in orbs of light, but then a monkey humanoid appeared on the Field, tape around its' wrists and ankles, with the achille's heel showing for both feet, as well as black mandarin pants as it slashed its' tail across the air and landed down in front of Lee. Believe it or not.. this was a Warrior-Type Monster!

MONKEY FIST

Earth/Warrior/8/2500 ATK/2200 DEF

Effect: When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Mode Monster on your opponent's side of the Field, inflict the difference as Battle Damage.

"And next, I play the Equip Magic Card, Elemental Punch - Water Fist on my Monster!"

Soon, Monkey Fist's hands began to glow with water around them as he punched the air, splashing water across the arena.

ELEMENTAL PUNCH - WATER FIST

Equip Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be equipped to Warrior-Type Monsters. Increase the Equipped Monster's ATK by 600 points. When a Monster equipped with this card destroys a Monster as a result of Battle, you can draw 2 cards from your Deck, then place 1 card in your hand at the bottom of your Deck.

Solomon looked on and smiled. "So I see... Lee's going to use Water Fist's effect to aid him in an attempt to Deck out Chen."

"What's that card do, Grandpa?" Taro asked, scratching his head.

Solomon chuckled. "For only Warriors can use this card... but when it destroys a Monster as a result of Battle, you draw 2 cards, then return 1 card in your hand to the bottom of your Deck. That will aid Lee there... I can just tell."

"Monkey Fist! Attack Bistro Butcher!" Monkey Fist heard Lee's call, then let out a whoop, like a monkey then charged, slamming his fist hard into Bistro Butcher, destroying it, as well as inflicting 1300 points of Direct Damage to Chen's Life Points, dropping him to 3350. Lee smiled as he said "And now, I get to draw 2 cards!" Lee drew 2 cards as Chen waved his finger. "Well, now I get to draw 4 thanks to Appropriate."

Lee had his two cards in hand, now being at 7 cards, as Chen now had 14 cards, as Chen smiled, seeing he had a card that helped him. He knew the weakness and bane of his Deck, which was he could run out of cards and dump them to the Graveyard... but with Infinite Cards, one of the cards he had drawn, he'd not have to worry.

INFINITE CARDS  
Permanent Magic Card

Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, there is no limit to the number of cards in either player's hand.

Lee took one of his Monsters, Sumo Fist, and placed it at the bottom of his Deck as he said "And now, I just did what had to be done, and that's place a card at the bottom of my Deck thanks to Water Fist's effect. Now I will set a card and end my turn."

"Heh. My turn." Chen drew his 15th card, knowing how ludicrous this was getting. He then took Clearing the Table and said "I will now play the Magic Card, Clearing the Table!!!"

CLEARING THE TABLE

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Destroy all cards on the Field except for Monster Cards with "Chef" in their card name and inflict 1000 points of damage to both players.

"Say bye-bye!" Suddenly, all of the cards on the Field exploded as Lee cried out, Chen's cards all gone now as Chen stood there, his Life Points at 2350, and Lee's at 6100. Chen then took Infinite Cards from his hand and played it. "Infinite Cards will be my next card! This will allow me to easily avoid discarding now! Next... I play Painful Choice!"

"Painful Choice...?" Lee blinked in surprise as Chen smiled, pulling out his small Deck, then pulled out 5 cards, all of them floating in front of Lee.

PAINFUL CHOICE

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Select 5 cards from your Deck and show them to your opponent. Your opponent must select one card that will be added to your hand. Discard the remaining cards to the Graveyard.

Lee looked at all of the cards, then picked the middle card, as Chen added one copy of Dinner is Served to his hand, placing all of his other picks into the Graveyard. But he was satisfied, 2 more copies of Dinner is Served now resting in his Graveyard.

DINNER IS SERVED

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Increase your Life Points by 1000 points, plus an additional 500 points for each copy of "Dinner is Served" that exists in your Graveyard.

"I will now play Dinner is Served. With this, I gain 1000 Life Points plus 500 more for each copy of Dinner is Served in my Graveyard. I will thus gain 2000 Life Points." Chen smiled at this action, his Life Points now at 4350 thanks to Dinner is Served.

Chen then took another card of his and said "Next, I play Monster Reborn! Come back to me, Burger Chef!"

Burger Chef then appeared on the Field, as Chen took another card from his hand and said "Now, I will play Hamburger Recipe!"

Suddenly, a pan appeared in front of Burger Chef as he grabbed it. Chen then took 2 cards from his hand and said "Next, I will send my 2 Goblin Chefs to the Graveyard, both equalling Level 6!"

HAMBURGER RECIPE

Ritual Magic Card

Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Hungry Burger". You must also offer Monsters whose Star Levels equal 6 or more as a Sacrifice from the Field or your hand.

GOBLIN CHEF

Dark/Fiend/3/800 ATK/800 DEF  
Effect: If this card exists in your Graveyard, discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.

In a flash, two small green-skinned goblins in red aprons appeared on the Field, disappearing into the pan, as now, Chen had 7 cards in hand as he pulled out his next card and said "And now I Special Summon Hungry Burger in Attack Mode!!"

The Ritual Monster that Chen summoned looked to be an average hamburger, BUT this one had sharp teeth on the buns, and a kind of triangular shape with a red dot on the top bun as it snapped its' teeth at Lee.

HUNGRY BURGER  
Dark/Warrior-Ritual/6/2000 ATK/1850 DEF  
Effect: This Monster can only first be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Magic Card, "Hamburger Recipe". You must also Tribute Monsters whose total Star Levels equal 6 or more from the Field or your hand.

"Now, I will send two cards to the Graveyard and Special Summon back my two Goblin Chefs!"

Soon enough, Chen's Goblin Chefs retook the Field, landing next to Hungry Burger. All together, Chen's Monsters had a combined ATK of 4500 points. Lee gulped as then Chen thrusted his arm forward. "All my Monsters! Attack!!"

Suddenly, the Goblin Chefs fired a stream of fire outward, Burger Chef shot a brick-like hamburger forward, and Hungry Burger charged, all attacks smashing Lee, and dropping his Life Points to 1600 points. Next, with only a few cards left, Chen said "I will next set two cards face-down and end my turn."

'Heh. With Check Please! and Time To Eat, I'll win in a heartbeat! You've lost, brat! No way can anyone stop the invincible Chen Sechin!'

TIME TO EAT

Normal Trap Card

Effect: For each copy of "Dinner is Served" that you remove from play in the Graveyard, destroy a number of cards on the Field.

CHECK PLEASE!

Normal Trap Card

Effect: Depending on which Attribute of Monster you have first on the Field then Tribute, activate and resolve one of the following effects;

EARTH - Draw 1 card.

FIRE - Destroy 1 face-down Magic or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field.

WIND - Discard 1 card from your hand to inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent.

WATER - Add 1 "Poisonous Ice Water" from your Deck to your hand.

LIGHT - Add 1 Monster Card with "Chef" in its' card name to your hand.

DARK - Discard your hand to inflict 200 points of damage for each card discarded this way.

"Now... it's my turn." Lee drew his next card, now having drawn 6 cards. He smiled as he then said, pointing to his set card. "Activate Magic Card! Giant Trunade! As you know, with Giant Trunade, all Magic and Trap Cards on the Field will be returned to our hands! But since my Giant Trunade was set face-down, no worries for me!"

A giant hurricane blasted around the Field as Yugi smiled. "Alright! Lee's got a good chance! Let's see what he can do!"

Lee looked at his drawn card and showed it to Lee. "Next up, I play Graceful Charity!" Lee drew 3 cards, now at 8 cards, then took Moon Envoy from his hand, as well as Legendary Fighter - Wu Shu. He looked at his 6 new cards, then raised up his next card and said "And now I play The Warrior Returning Alive, and I will add Moon Envoy from my Graveyard to my hand!"

Lee then took Moon Envoy from his Graveyard slot and slapped him down onto his Duel Disk as he said "And now I play Moon Envoy in Attack Mode!"

Moon Envoy flipped in the air, slashing it with his crescent moon pike, while he wore Chinese blue and yellow armor and boots with white pants. He landed down and looked over at Chen.

MOON ENVOY

Light/Warrior/4/1100 ATK/1000 DEF

"What can you do with that!? Its' ATK is only 1100! The most you could destroy is a Goblin Chef or Burger Chef! It doesn't seem like you have much choice!"

"Ohhhh... I do. Check this out, Chen! I play the Magic Card, Light Shattering The Darkness!!!"

LIGHT SHATTERING THE DARKNESS

Quickplay Magic Card

Effect: Offer 1 face-up "Moon Envoy" on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice in order to Special Summon 1 "Dragon Man The Protector of the Great Wall" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.

Suddenly, light wrapped around Moon Envoy, and then shattered, as he stood strong, with dragon-like armor on and a bigger build, with much added height, his pike replaced by a long sword with a crescent moon shaped handle as Lee said "Meet my favorite card! Dragon Man the Protecter of the Great Wall! In Attack Mode!"

Yugi, Taro, Suki, Solomon, and everyone looking on were all impressed by the elegance which Dragon Man had, as he slashed the air with his sword, landing down in front of Lee. Lee's hand now just had Equip Magic Cards... all of which he could use to end this.

DRAGON MAN THE PROTECTOR OF THE GREAT WALL

Light/Warrior/8/2800 ATK/2400 DEF

Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card must be Special Summoned first by offering a face-up "Moon Envoy" to the effect of "Light Shattering The Darkness". While this card is face-up on the Field, you can discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard in order to destroy all Magic Cards and Trap Cards on both sides of the Field.

"Now... time for a group of Magic Cards 3 Equip Magic Cards to start! First up! Fuu-Rai-Ken!" Soon, Dragon Man grasped a Chinese-style sword, with orbs in the blade, his ATK now at 3200 thanks to this Magic Card.

FUU-RAI-KEN

Equip Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be equipped to Warrior-Type Monsters. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 300 points. Also, the Equipped Monster can attack once more in a row with its' ATK reduced in half.

"And next up! Big Bang Shot!" Dragon Man softly began to glow, his ATK now up to 3600 thanks to Big Bang Shot, which gave Lee a bigger edge due to its' effect. But he had to be careful, but since Chen's field was cleared, he may have had an easier chance to use it.

BIG BANG SHOT

Equip Magic Card

Effect: A Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK by 400 points. When the equipped Monster attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. When this card is destroyed or removed from the Field, the equipped Monster is removed from play.

"And lastly! I play Elemental Punch - Fire Fist!" And lastly, Dragon Man's fist began to ignite with fire, his ATK upped to 4200, and leaving Lee with one last card to use in his hand.

ELEMENTAL PUNCH - FIRE FIST

Equip Magic Card

Effect: This card can only be equipped to Warrior-Type Monsters. Increase the Equipped Monster's ATK by 600 points.

"Ha! It's only 4200, so what would it help if you can't deal bad damage to me!" Chen smirked.

Lee smiled and said "I'm just having fun with this Duel, Mr. Chen. And now I'm gonna end it! Magic Card! Pump Up!"

Suddenly, Dragon Man began to glow, as his ATK was doubled... to a whopping 8400!!! And now... Lee smiled and said "And that is all of my hand!"

PUMP UP

Normal Magic Card

Effect: Double the ATK of 1 Monster on your side of the Field until the End Phase of this turn.

"8-8-8-8400 ATK!?! Oh, no!" Chen shuttered as Lee then thrusted his arm forward. "DRAGON MAN!!! Attack Goblin Chef!!!"

Dragon Man exploded forward, then cried out, splitting one of Chen's Goblin Chefs, dealing a whopping 7600 Life Points damage, and beating Chen! Chen looked in shock, dropping his cards as he said "I... I lost... I've never lost before... what do I do now?"

Lee smiled then extended his hand. "You try to get better. See, that's what I learned... you should try to do your best work in the kitchen. I'm good, but I always need some good experience, Mr. Chen... if you want me to still stay on."

Chen looked in surprise at Lee, but then took his hand and smiled as everyone in the restaurant clapped their hands at the Duel, as well as for a great show. Chen then said "OK! Let us get your meals ready, folks!!"

After everything was done, Yugi, Taro, Suki, Solomon and Lee all walked out from the restaurant as Yugi said "So, you took something from our Duel, huh, Lee?"

"Yes, I did, Yugi. I remember how you said you play for fun. I myself now know what it is like to do that too. All in all... I like it."  
Suki smiled and said "At least you did well and kept your cool, Lee."  
"Thanks, Mrs. Mutoh. Hey, tell you what... to make up for lunch, why don't I come over and make dinner? My treat!"  
Taro nodded and said "As long as you make a big helping bowl of noodles, I'll be happy!"

Yugi laughed at this and nodded. "That does sound great!"

Lee smiled, as he walked with his friends and their family, seeing that the simplest joy for himself... was not to win or be the best, but to make others around him feel good. And with the Mutohs, he had managed to do that.

However... in the Domino Airport, a private plane landed, and Sarah Ashcroft, the leader of the Card Hunters, along with Mark, and another one, a redheaded young man with a black duster and sunglasses appeared, stepping off the plane... as if something was being set up now.

-To Be Continued...-


	11. Chapter 11

Episode 11 - Assault of the Android Deck! Psycho Shocker vs. Psycho Shocker!

At Domino High, during break in homeroom, Yugi was playing a game of Duel Monsters with Téa, since she had wanted to practice, and get better so that she can do something more besides giving support, with Taro, Melody, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura watching over the Duel. Yugi's side of the field had Marshmalon, face-up in Defense Mode, as well as Marshmalon's Glasses, and Blocken also in Defense Mode.

Mashmalon was a small angel with a smile where its' eyes were, and its' eyes where its' mouth was, as well as pink cheeks on its' salmon colored skin. And even it looked weak, Mashmalon's effects compensated for that!

MARSHMALON  
Light/Fairy/3/300 ATK/500 DEF  
Effect: When this card is attacked while face-down, the controller of the Monster that attacked this card receives 1000 points of damage. This card is not destroyed as a result of Battle at any time.

And Blocken, Yugi's second Monster, was a block-based creature made of grey and dark grey. And its' effect was useful too. Even with Marshmalon's Glasses in play, Yugi was still confident in what he could use Blocken for.

BLOCKEN  
Earth/Rock/3/100 ATK/300 DEF  
Effect: When the opponent attacks another of your Monsters and this card is face-up on the Field, you can choose this card to be the target of the attack. When this card is destroyed as a result of Battle, you can Special Summon 1 "Renguard" from your Deck to the Field.

MARSHMALON'S GLASSES  
Permanent Magic Card  
Effect: As long as this card and "Marshmalon" are face-up on your side of the Field, your opponent can only target "Marshmalon" as an attack target during his/her Battle Phase.

Téa's side of the Field had Gemini Elf and Mystical Sand in Attack Mode, with no Magic or Trap Cards on the Field. Mystical Sand, Téa's strongest Monster on the Field sat on a broomstick, with green hair that was long, a red witch's cap, as well as red robes. At first glance, Mystical Sand would have been Spellcaster... but she was not. And her card had a purple border, so that meant she was a Fusion Monster.

MYSTICAL SAND  
Earth/Rock-Fusion/6/2100 ATK/1700 DEF  
"Ancient Elf" + "Giant Soldier of Stone"

And Téa's second Monster, Gemini Elf, was consisted of 2 Monsters! The first of the two elves had blonde hair with pink marks on her cheeks and forehead. She had white wool around the collar of her light blue dress, part of her bust shown, as well as her gloves. Next to her was an orange-ahired elf, who had green marks on her cheeks and forehead, and a dark blue dress as well as part of her bust shown too.

GEMINI ELF  
Earth/Spellcaster/4/1900 ATK/900 DEF

"OK, my turn." Yugi said, drawing his next card, and getting a card that could win the game for him. He then said "I will now play Emergency Provisions, and destroy Marshmalon's Glasses to gain 1000 Life Points."

Yugi's Life Points were now at 2800, which were originally 1800, as he then swiped Marshmallow and Blocken and showed them to Téa. "Now, I'll sacrifice Marshmalon and Blocken to make a Level 7+ summon!" He then slapped his two cards into the Graveyard and slapped down a jet blackish-blue Dragon with red orbs all over its' body, spikes along the bottom and top of its' wings, a long tail and a vicious look.

"So I play Destructive Dragon Gondora in Attack Mode!"

Taro whistled as Melody blinked. "What does that card do?"  
"Well, Melody, when you Sacrifice Summon Gondora, you can pay half your LP and attack with its' Magic Attack, Destroying Gigas Ray, and remove all Monsters on the Field from play. Once that's done, it's destroyed. So, it's kind of a double-edged sword." Joey replied as he looked on.

DESTRUCTIVE DRAGON GONDORA  
Dark/Dragon/8/? ATK/? DEF  
Effect: When this Monster is Sacrifice Summoned successfully, pay half of your Life Points. During this turn, this Monster attacks all Monsters on the Field with a Magic Attack and remove the attacked Monsters from play. After this Monster attacks, destroy this card and send it to the Graveyard.

"And like Joey said, I'm gonna pay half my Life Points to use Destroying Gigas Ray, and wipe out the whole field!" Yugi's Life Points were now at 1400, as Téa then removed her Monsters from play, and Yugi smiled, sending Gondora to the Graveyard, as he then took a card and said "Now I'll set a card down and end my turn."

"My turn then." Téa drew her next card, but before she could make her next move, the bell rang as she sighed. "Awwwww... that means we can't continue!"

Yugi chuckled and said "Don't worry, Téa! If you want, we can play again at Grandpa's shop sometime."

"Alright!" Téa replied, smiling.

Joey chuckled at this, then heard something from outside, and looked out the window, then shook it off. "OK... maybe I was just... daydreaming."

From afar, someone behind a tree whom looked Spanish, with a black duster on as well as a brown shirt, and black pants and boots, and his arms crossed as he smiled. "OK. I got my target. And I will make my move soon."

After school ended, Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan, Taro, Melody, and Bakura were all about to head out as Bakura had asked "Hey, Joey, where you headed?"

Joey turned to the others and said "Well, guys, I'm gonna be heading home now. Dad actually sobered up enough for me to want me home this week to assist him on somethin'. Who knows what? I gotta get home so I can figure it out though, guys. So, later!" Joey rushed off as fast as he could, as Bakura said "Tristan... have you any idea of what is going on?"

Tristan shook his head, then exhaled. "Not a clue. With Joey and his dad, who knows? There is some tension in both their lives due to what happened..."

Taro put his hands behind his head and said "Yeah, Yugi told me of how Joey's parents got divorced and he was seperated from his sister. That kinda thing would do that to someone, I'm sure..."

At his apartment, Joey was looking about, having just switched to a black tank top and some blue jeans as he stepped out of his room and said "Dad? Dad, you here?"

Joey soon heard something and saw his father, Jo'ken, whom was actually much like Joey, only his hair was spiky rather than messy like Joey's. Plus he had some stubble along his face, and the smell of alcohol and tobacco. In his look, Jo'ken had a black t-shirt and beige cargo pants as he turned to Joey and burped some. "Pardon. Hey, Joe, you brat, there you are!"

Joey blinked and said "Wow... what made you wanna clean up all of a sudden, Dad?"

"Hey, can't a guy wanna look nice, Joe?" Jo'ken replied.

"I guess..." Joey scratched his head and said "What's up? You made it seem urgent."

Jo'ken exhaled and said "It is when I need a second opinion."

"Say what?"

Jo'ken shrugged and said "Joey, you told me a while back you'd been playing Duel Monsters, right?"

"Uhm... yeah... a long while ago. Like almost a year ago."

Jo'ken exhaled, and looked over at Joey, rather seriously. "So... what I am getting at is I heard about what happened to you during the Semi-Finals of Seto Kaiba's Battle City tournament... and.. I know I haven't been the best father these last few years... I guess I hurt badly because of what happened to your mother and I, and seeing Serenity being gone."

Joey blinked and said "Dad... well, if I told you, I dunno if you'd believe me or not. Would you?"

"Who knows? All I remember is you had collapsed after that attack by Marik Ishtar... I saw it on a video... but it was rather fuzzy from what I can tell... the video kept switching between snow and the images themselves..."  
Joey exhaled. "Well, I had passed out for a long time... that's the most I can explain..."

Jo'ken nodded. "I see... what it is is I want to change... I..."

But before both men could continue... there was a knock on the door. Joey rushed to it, then opened it, seeing no one there... but then he noticed a note on the door. He grabbed the note and began to read it.

"Wheeler. Meet me. Downtown. 6:30 PM."

Joey blinked and then walked into his room, getting his Duel Disk and Deck as he then popped into his father's room and said "Dad. I gotta go now. Someone just sent me a note to get to downtown by 6:30. And it's 6:12 right now! If I run, I could make it by then from where we are!"

Jo'ken then said "Go. If it's for a Duel, just go and do your best, son.. like I'm going to try to do my best... despite the rough edges to work with."

Joey smiled, nodded, and was off as fast as he could, slipping his Duel Disk onto his arm, putting his Deck into his jeans' pocket as he ran as fast as he could.

After having arrived at downtown, Joey looked about carefully, wondering what was going on. Soon, he heard that same buzzing noise from this morning... he looked around, then saw someone... someone watching from this morning. The man then said "Good... you came... 2nd place in Duelist Kingdom, 4th in Battle City... Joey Wheeler."

"Who're you? Are you the one who posted that note on my apartment?"

"Si. The name's Jorgé Cervantes, Card Hunter. And I was meaning to target you... just to see if you're all you're cracked up to be... but from what I've seen..." Jorgé replied, running his hand across his black hair. "You're not much."

Joey's eye twitched at that and said "OK, that's it!! Let's Go! Right here! Right now!!!" He then grabbed his Deck and slapped it into his Deck, gritting his teeth as he flicked his Duel Disk to the ready position. Jorgé smiled and said "Alright." He flicked his wrist, his Duel Disk showing itself as it locked into the ready position also, with all kinds of patrons looking at them, murmuring as they watched on, both Joey and Jorgé's Life Point counters hitting 8000 points.

Yugi was now on the phone, dialing in Joey's number, with Taro sitting on the futon, legs crossed.  
Jo'ken picked up the phone and said "Hello?"

"Mr. Wheeler? This is Yugi Mutoh. Is Joey home?"

"No. He had to go. Something about a note on our door and his meeting someone at 6:30."

"Where?"

"Downtown."

Yugi then nodded and said "Thanks again." He quickly hung up and said "OK, Taro, we should try downtown. Mr. Wheeler said Joey had to meet someone there. And it makes me wonder... if the Card Hunters have been calm recently... so what if one of them had set upt a challenge for Joey?"

"Ooohhhhh... good point! Let's get going!" Taro shot up and ran out of the door as Yugi bolted right behind him.

Both Joey and Jorgé had 5 cards in their hands as Joey smiled and said "My turn!" He drew his sixth card, and then looked at his hand. He grinned, taking one of his Monsters and said "I now play Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode!"

Joey's summon created a large brown-furred gorilla with glowing red eyes with light flesh as it slammed its' closed hands against its' chest, roaring loudly, as it then punched the air fiercely.

BERSERK GORILLA  
Earth/Beast/4/2000 ATK/1000 DEF  
Effect: If this card is in face-up Defense Mode on the Field, destroy this card. The controller of this card must attack with this card when possible.

"And then I'll set a card face-down and end my turn!" Joey slid a Magic (or was it Trap?) Card face-down behind Berserk Gorilla as he slashed the air. "OK, you're up!"

"With pleasure. My turn. Draw." Jorgé drew his sixth card and saw he had drawn Android Sniper.

He nodded and said "I will play Android Sniper in Attack Mode."

Jorgé's summon made a green camoflauged android with a sniper rifle on its' right arm, as it pointed its' rifle forward, its' left hand resting on the rifle.

ANDROID SNIPER  
Earth/Machine/4/1600 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: Pay 800 Life Points. Destroy 1 card on the field. You cannot coduct yoru Battle Phase this turn if you use this effect.

"Now, I will use Android Sniper's effect. At the cost of 800 Life Points, I will destroy 1 card on your side of the Field." Jorgé's Life Points had dropped from 8000 points to 7200 points. "And now... say good-bye to your Berserk Gorilla!!"

Android Sniper pointed its' gun at Joey's set card as it clicked, the trigger of its' gun pulled as it fired, a bullet exploding forward, blasting through Berserk Gorilla, blowing it to bits and leaving Joey defenseless.

"Now, I end my turn, since I can't enter my Battle Phase when I use Android Sniper's effect." Jorgé replied, just shrugging.  
"My turn..." Joey replied, drawing his next card as he smiled. "I play Reinforcement of the Army! This Magic Card allows me to move 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from my Deck to my hand!"

REINFORCEMENT OF THE ARMY  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Move 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster from your Deck to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled.

Joey then moved his Deck out of his Duel Disk, he looked for a good Warrior-Type Monster, then smiled and pulled out Marauding Captain as his Monster of choice. Joey then said "Now comes the Deck shuffling portion!" He shuffled his Deck, then placed it back into his Duel Disk as he took Marauding Captain's card, saying "I now Normal Summon Marauding Captain in Attack Mode!"

Marauding Captain appeared onto the Field in front of Joey. His appearance was that, it seemed, of a knight. He had sliver armor around much of his body... his upper body, wrists, and legs from down his knees to his feet was covered in armor. Black showed underneath the armor, and he had a belt around his waist, two sheathes for swords. He also had blonde hair that was cut short, a scar under his right eye, and a black cape with a red inside lining.

MARAUDING CAPTAIN  
Earth/Warrior/3/1200 ATK/400 DEF  
Effect: As long as this Monster remains face-up on the Field, your opponent cannot select another Warrior-Type Monster on your side of the Field as an attack target. When this Monster is Normal Summoned successfully, you can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from your hand.

"And now I get to use Marauding Captain's effect and Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from my hand to the Field! And I choose Rocket Warrior!"

ROCKET WARRIOR  
Light/Warrior/4/1500 ATK/1300 DEF  
Effect: This effect is only active during the Battle Phase of your turn. Battle Damage to this card and this card's controller that they take from a battle involving this card is reduced to 0. After damage calculation, decrease the ATK of the Monster that was attacked by this card by 500 points until the end of this turn.

Rocket Warrior floated up in the air next to Marauding Captain. In appearance, he didn't seem like he'd be a Warrior-Type Monster. He had a round head, with a silver lining around his yellow face, which had no mouth, and two black round eyes, green covering the rest of his helmet except for a silver spike on the top. He also had similar colored shoulder armor and leg armor too, with two wingtips it seemed around his ankles. And in the chest was a checkered area, black and yellow. In his hands, one was a sword, and the other was a diamond-shaped shield. Even if Rocket Warrior didn't look like much, it was his effect that was rather strong.

"Now I got two Warriors on the Field! So next up! Outta the 3 cards I got left, I play Legendary Sword on Marauding Captain!"

A long golden handled sword appeared, as Marauding Captain grabbed it, his ATK and DEF increased by 300 points, to 1500/700.

LEGENDARY SWORD  
Equip Magic Card  
Effect: A Warrior-Type Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK and DEF by 300 points.

"Rocket Warrior, get us started off!" Rocket Warrior soon began to transform, taking the form of a rocket, then shot forward. Jorgé looked onward and said 'So... he's using Rocket Warrior's effect to weaken Android Sniper. Brilliant, even if he seems a tad serious.'

Rocket Warrior then smashed hard into Android Sniper, causing it to skid back, its' ATK dropped by 500 points to 1100. Rocket Warrior then landed next to Marauding Captain as Joey continued his Battle Phase. "Now, Marauding Captain, attack Android Sniper!"

Marauding Captain leapt forward, then slashed downward on Android Sniper, destroying it and dealing 400 points of Battle Damage to Jorgé's Life Points, putting the Spanish Card Hunter at 6800 points now.

"Next up, I will reveal my set Trap Card, Miraculous Draw!"

The card image to Miraculous Draw had shown an image of a Duel Monsters Deck, with a glowing sparkle of light over it, and its' effect was based off luck, much like Joey's Deck was.

MIRACULOUS DRAW  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: During each of your Draw Phases, before you draw your next card, guess the card. If you are correct, inflict 1000 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points. If you are incorrect, inflict 1000 points of Direct Damage to your Life Points.

"This little bad boy won't work til my next Draw Phase, so I guess I gotta end my turn with these two cards in my hand."

Jorgé nodded. "My turn. Draw." He drew his next card, having 6 cards in his hand again. He noticed he had Monster Reborn, as well as Psycho Shocker. He knew he could take an early advantage... if he did this right. He nodded and said "I'll do it. For my next move, I play Monster Reborn and Special Summon Android Sniper back to the Field in Defense Mode!"

Android Sniper was then back, kneeling down on the ground as Jorgé then took another card from his hand and said "And next, I will sacrifice my Sniper and summon another Android! This one being a little stronger! Come on out! Psycho Shocker!" Jorgé slapped his card down as Joey's eyes shrunk 'Did he say... Psycho Shocker!?"

And in a bright burst of light that captivated the audience around Joey and Jorgé, out came what appeared to be... a man. This was no ordinary man though. This one had green metal slammed onto its' face, covering it with glowing red eyes. Along the rest of its' body was green and black armor, with spikes along the yellow portion of a collar and the yellow went down the middle of its' armor as well as green bracelets with spikes along the bottom near its' black gloves. The lower half of the robes covered its' feet... but... that didn't matter. This was Android Psycho Shocker, known in some circles simply as Jinzo.

PSYCHO SHOCKER (English Name: Jinzo)  
Dark/Machine/6/2400 ATK/1500 DEF  
Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, all Trap Cards cannot be activated. The effects of all face-up Trap Cards are also negated.

"And now, you know what this means. Since Psycho Shocker is in play, neither of us can use Trap Cards, so your Miraculous Draw is negated. I get what you wanted to do, Wheeler... guess your cards when you drew them and deal damage to my Life Points since they were low to start. Smart, but risky too. If you guessed wrong, you'd have lost 1000 Life Points. But now, I'll do more damage this way. Next up, I play the Equip Magic Card, Amplifier!"

Suddenly, a metal cap slammed onto Psycho Shocker's head, with metal rods of a kind protruding out of the cap as it began to blink and blip. "Remember how I said we couldn't activate Trap Cards? Well, guess what? Thanks to Amplifier, now I can."

"What!?" Joey said, then gritted his teeth, glaring at Jorgé.

AMPLIFIER  
Equip Magic Card  
Effect: This card can only be Equipped to "Psycho Shocker". As long as this card is equipped, the effects of Trap Cards controlled by the equipped Monster's controller are not negated by the effect of the Equipped Monster. When this card is removed from the Field, the equipped Monster is destroyed. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated by any other card.

"Next... I will set 2 cards down. Psycho Shocker! Attack Marauding Captain! CYBER ENERGY SHOCK!!!"

Psycho Shocker's right hand began to glow as it then shot a blast of energy, blowing away Marauding Captain, as well as dropping

Joey's LP by 900 points, to 7100. "And that is the end of my turn..."

"My turn..." Joey drew his next card and gained Psycho Shocker. He nodded and said "Now I sacrifice Rocket Warrior, and I play Psycho Shocker in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Rocket Warrior was gone, as in his place was a Psycho Shocker also! Joey and Jorgé now both had two strong Level 6 Monsters in play... and both could easily destroy one another... but Joey didn't want that yet. Joey took a card from his hand and said "I will next set a card down and that's that."

"Very well." Jorgé drew his next card, then said "Now, I play Pot of Greed." He then drew 2 cards, his hand size now being 4 cards as he then noticed more of the Trap Cards he needed. But with Amplifier in play, he had to make room to use it... even if it meant losing his Psycho Shocker to get all the Trap Cards down. He then said "I will next set 2 cards face-down and end my turn."

'Why's he stallin'!? He could easily destroy my Psycho Shocker, even at the cost of his own... but that doesn't mean I can't handle this easily!'

Joey smiled and said "My turn! Draw!!" Drawing his next card, Joey smiled and said "I will next play Demon's Dice! When this Magic Card lands on a number, it's gonna divide the ATK of your Psycho Shocker by the amount it lands on!"

With the play of Joey's set Quickplay Magic Card, a small little devil with black on mostly, save for yellow flame designs along the lower half of its' shirt and pale skin appeared, holding a red dice in hand. The devil cackled as he flicked the red dice in the air, the dice bouncing slowly. The dice then landed on 2, cutting Psycho Shocker's ATK in half to 1200!

DEMON'S DICE  
Quickplay Magic Card  
Effect: When activated, select 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. Roll a six-sided dice. Divide the ATK of the chosen Monster by the result of the dice roll until the End Phase of this turn.

"Psycho Shocker, its' ATK is halved! Go for it!! Cyber Energy Shock it back!!" Joey's Psycho Shocker's hands raised up between one another, the same energy glowing as he then shot it right at his Amplifier-equipped twin, blowing him to dust and dropping Jorgé's Life Points by 1200 points to 5600. Jorgé smiled as Joey said "HA!! Eat that with a fork and see how you like it! That ends my turn."

"Well, you are going to hate this." Jorgé drew his next card, then smiled, as he said "Now I play the Magic Card, Tribute to the Doomed. With it, I discard 1 card of mine in my hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 Monster on the Field! And guess what? I choose Psycho Shocker."

TRIBUTE TO THE DOOMED  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Discard one card from your hand to the Graveyard. Destroy 1 Monster Card on the Field.

Jorgé then took one of his 2 remaining cards in his hand, discarding it, as mummy-like wrapping wrapped around Psycho Shocker, then a hand grabbed it, dragging it into the earth, as Joey gritted his teeth 'All of this just to rid my Psycho Shocker and to use his Trap Cards!?! He is so stubborn!!'

"I will now play one of my Trap Cards! Reckless Greed!" Jorgé drew 2 cards qickly, smiling as he then said "Now... I play my other 3 Trap Cards! Jar of Greed times 3!"

With the flip of his set cards, 3 red jars with faces and golden lining around them, as well as treasure inside, appeared as he then drew 3 cards, one for each copy of Jar of Greed he played. Jar of Greed may not have been the strongest card-drawing card, but it was good when used right.

RECKLESS GREED  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: Draw 2 cards from your Deck and skip your next 2 Draw Phases.

JAR OF GREED  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: Draw 1 card from your Deck.

Jorgé's hand was now at 6 cards as he took a Monster from his hand and said "I play Android Shielder in Defense Mode."

A golden android, with a large shield thn appeared onto Jorgé's side of the Field, kneeling behind its' shield as a sign it was in Defense Mode.

ANDROID SHIELDER  
Earth/Machine/4/200 ATK/2200 DEF

Jorgé then said "Next... I play Junk Dealer! And with this card... I can Special Summon up to 2 Machine or Warrior-Type Monsters in my Graveyard, their ATK reduced in half of course. But I'll Special Summon one. Android Sniper."  
Android Sniper then appeared on the Field in Defense Mode, with its' ATK dropped to 800, half of 1600. Jorgé, now having 3 cards in his hand, taking one and sliding it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone and said "And now I set one last card down. Turn end."

Joey then said "My turn!" He closed his eyes, remembering Miraculous Draw was on the Field. He began to think of all the cards in his Deck, as he said "My next draw... will be... Pot of Greed!!" Joey then drew his next card, and looked at it, his eyes shrinking when he saw it wasn't Pot of Greed he'd drawn, but it was Armored Lizard he had drawn! He cried out as Miraculous Draw took 1000 Life Points of Direct Damage, hitting Joey with it, dropping the blonde Duelist's LP to 6100. He then took Armored Lizard and set it face-down as he said "I'll set a Monster face-down and end my turn!"

ARMORED LIZARD  
Earth/Reptile/4/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

"My turn. But due to Reckless Greed. I can't draw. But I will play my set Trap Card, Non-Aggression Area. During my Standby Phase is when I can activate this card. I will then take a card, and discard it to the Graveyard." Jorgé soon looked at Android Seeker, which would help greatly in his Field advantage, sliding it into his Graveyard slot as he said "You may know how this card works, you may not. But you now in your next turn cannot Normal Summon, Special Summon or set ANY Monsters."

Joey gritted his teeth at this, clenching his cards a tad tightly at Jorgé, who just kept a calm head about this whole ordeal.

NON-AGGRESSION AREA  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: You can only activate this card during your Standby Phase. Discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard. Your opponent cannot Normal Summon, Set, and/or Special Summon during their next turn.

"Turn end." With Jorgé's turn being done, Android Seeker, a small orb with a red glowing "eye" in the center, as well as tank treads appeared on the Field near its' brothers as Joey said "What the...!? How did...!?"  
"Android Seeker's effect is if it is sent to the Graveyard by my own hand from my hand, I can Special Summon it to the Field during my End Phase. Now Mr. Wheeler, you're up."

ANDROID SEEKER  
Light/Machine/3/1200 ATK/1000 DEF  
Effect: If this card is sent to the Graveyard from your hand, you can Special Summon it to your side of the Field during your End Phase.

Joey gritted his teeth and said "My turn! And my guess for Miraculous Draw! It's gonna be Axe Raider!" Joey drew his next card and cursed to himself, having drawn Shield Crush, crying out as his Life Points went to 5100. At this point, Shield Crush did no good, since it wasn't a big bothersome Monster he had to deal with, but two small fry. He also had a Monster he could use, but with no luck summoning it due to Non-Aggression Area. He then threw his arms to his sides and said "I END MY TURN!!!"

"My turn. Now I have this last Draw Phase to skip thanks to Reckless Greed. And I end my turn." Jorgé smiled and Joey, getting frustrated, then said "My turn! My guess on Miraculous Draw will be Pot of Greed again!!" Joey drew his next card and his eyes had become dots... when he saw he got Little Winguard! He then cried out, his LP dropped to 4100 points. He then said "I will next sacrifice my set Monster and summon Cyber-Tech Alligator in Attack Mode!!"

In a flash, Armored Lizard's set card was gone, and in its' place was a red armored wyvern of sorts, its' green scales and yellow underbelly showing underneath the red armor somewhat, with parts of its' body being cybernetics now. It snarled as Joey smiled, confident he had a stronger Monster in tow now.

CYBER-TECH ALLIGATOR  
Wind/Machine/5/2500 ATK/1600 DEF

"Cyber-Tech Alligator, attack Android Sniper!!!" Hearing his command, Cyber-Tech Alligator roared, charging at Android Sniper, slashing it right in half, destroying it easily since it had 1200 DEF compared to the Alligator's 2500 ATK. It exploded as Jorgé sighed and then shrugged. "OK, that's that."

"My turn." Jorgé then closed his eyes, drawing his next card, as he then opened his eyes and saw he had drawn his key card... Psycho Shocker EXCEL. His Trap Cards used so far were just a decoy, just to prepare for what he did need. He remembered now that his hand also had the Magic Card, Reload, but he has 2 other cards in hand. If he used it now... it may help, but it may not. He nodded and said "I play Reload, returning two cards to my hand to get 2 new cards after my Deck is shuffled."

Jorgé then drew 2 cards, as he nodded. "Hey, Wheeler, I'm going to make you a bet. I'll bet that I'm able to replenish my whole hand in just a bit. I play Heart of the Underdog. As you know, this Magic Card lets me draw another card if I get to draw a Normal Monster. So, then I set my last card face-down... and I end my turn with no cards in my hand."

"Heh! You think I'm scared!? I'm not! It takes good luck to make use of Heart of the Underdog! I can tell from experience."  
"Well, so far my luck has been better than your own, that is for sure. I can guarantee you that the next guess with Miraculous Draw will backfire on you, I can assure you of that."

Joey looked at his Deck and said to himself 'He's right... I've been getting bad guesses with Miraculous Draw... I... I don't know if I can do it... I'm gonna lose, I can just tell! Dammit... why'd I have to lose!?'

"Don't worry so much about it!!"

Joey heard that and turned, seeing Yugi, Taro, and his dad standing there. Yugi looked and said "Jeez, Joey, it's just like when you took my grandpa on! You're being too serious about this!"

Taro nodded and said "Yeesh. You're a strong Duelist, but you just gotta have fun with it!"

Joey looked at Yugi and began to speak. "But..."

"Hey, if you think that Atem is the right path to being a True Duelist then you need to really re-think that, Joe! Following one path to being a True Duelist isn't the best path! What you gotta do is do what makes you feel best as a True Duelist!" Yugi replied, his hands around his mouth on both sides.

Joey looked in surprise at this and thought 'Yeah... Yugi's right. I gotta do this my way, not anyone else's...'

"Thanks, Yugi."

"And just kick some butt, son." Jo'ken replied, smiling.

Joey nodded. "With pleasure, Dad! My turn!" Slowly, the blonde Duelist closed his eyes, thinking of what card he would draw next. He then said "My next draw... will be Pot of Greed, I guarantee."

Joey then drew his next card, opened his eyes and smiled, getting Pot of Greed! Joey lifted his card up and said "Looks like I got it right this time."

Jorgé looked on and then got shocked, but remained rather calm, his LP at 4100 now.

"In fact, now I'm gonna play Pot of Greed!"

Joey then drew 2 cards. He then took Shield Crush, which he got earlier and said "I now play the Magic Card, Shield Crush! This Magic Card lets me destroy 1 Monster that's in Defense Mode! And I choose Android Seeker!"

Shield Crush appeared on Joey's side of the Field, showing an image of Millennium Shield, another Monster, being destroyed by a beam of light. The card then began to glow, as a beam of light shot forward, ripping through the Android Seeker, destroying it.

SHIELD CRUSH  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Select and destroy 1 Monster on the Field in Defense Mode.

"And next, I play Dark Catapulter in Defense Mode!"

The card appearing on the Field looked to be Machine-like... with a dark grey body, save for teal arms, legs, 2 fingers on each arm, which crossed its' body, toes, and a kind of scale along its' neck. Also, along the Monster's chest downward some, was yellow, and its' eyes also were yellow. It also had a red orb on its' forehead, a kind of purple armor from its' shoulders, and two antennea of some kind protruding from its' back. It remained kneeled over its' own Duel Monsters card, waiting it seemed.

DARK CATAPULTER  
Earth/Machine/4/1000 ATK/1500 DEF  
Effect: During your Standby Phase, while this card is in face-up Defense Mode, place 1 counter on this card. During your Main Phase, you may remove all counters on this card and remove a number of cards in your Graveyard from play equal to the number of counters removed. For each card removed from play by this effect, destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field.

"And so with that... I end my turn." Joey proclaimed, keeping Cyber-Tech Alligator in Attack Mode, since none of Jorgé's Monsters at the moment were strong enough to dispose of it.

Taro whispered to Yugi "Hey, Yugi... I forgot. What's Dark Catapulter do again?"  
Looking at Taro, Yugi whispered back to him. "If Joey keeps it in Defense Mode, it gets a Turn Counter, which he can then remove, and remove a number of cards in his Graveyard from play to destroy a number of Magic and Trap Cards on the Field. A smart move, but risky if he doesn't use it right."

Jo'ken just looked on, hands in his pockets, as he was curious to see how his sun would do... as well as to how Duel Monsters worked in the first place!

Right now, Jorgé smiled as he drew his next card, getting another copy of Android Shielder, which he showed Joey and said "That's one new draw I get with Heart of the Underdog."

Jorgé drew his next card and had gained Android Saber, a metallic blue android that had a red energy saber where its' left hand would be normally and a black and red cape for a flourish of an appearance.

ANDROID SABER  
Earth/Machine/4/1900 ATK/1500 DEF

"That's another." Jorgé drew once more, as he showed Android Fist, a red and black android with large gorilla-sized fists and a blue orb where its' mid-section would be normally. Jorgé smiled and said "Si, the Goddess of Luck is with me. That's 3 Normal Monsters so far." He then drew a fourth card thanks to Heart of the Underdog's effect.

ANDROID FIST  
Earth/Machine/6/2200 ATK/1800 DEF

"And another Normal Monster." Jorgé showed his next Normal Monster, another Android Saber, to Joey, drawing a 5th card now! And then, he showed a 3rd copy of Android Shielder to Joey as he said "That makes 6 draws so far. I told you I could do it."

Jorgé drew his next card, and got Magic Shard Excavation. "Too bad. But I now am ready to begin. I play the Magic Card, Magic Shard Excavation. With the activation of this Magic Card, Joey, I can discard 2 cards from my hand to add 1 Magic Card back to my hand. And I will..." He took Android Saber, and Android Shielder, sliding them into his Graveyard slot, then grasped his card of choice, showing it to Joey as he said "And my card to return.. Pot of Greed!"

MAGIC SHARD EXCAVATION (English Name: Mining for Magical Stones)  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: You can discard 2 cards from your hand to add 1 Magic Card from your Graveyard to your hand.

"In fact... I am gonna play Pot of Greed." Jorgé drew 2 cards quickly, but smiled as he saw he had once again gained Psycho Shocker EXCEL! Now, he also had another card to make sure he could summon. He took his next card and held it up. "I now play Magnet Reverse! With this Magic Card, I can Special Summon a Machine or Rock-Type Monster in my Graveyard, to the Field, in Defense Mode! And my Monster to come back is Psycho Shocker!!"

With a whirl from the Field, Psycho Shocker appeared, kneeling down, arms crossed over its' body as its' eyes began to glow.

MAGNET REVERSE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Special Summon 1 Machine-Type or Rock-Type Monster from your Graveyard to the Field in Defense Mode.

Psycho Shocker's DEF - 1500  
Android Shielder's DEF - 2000

Cyber-Tech Alligator's ATK - 2500  
Dark Catapulter's DEF - 1500

"Like I'm scared of that, Jorgé! My Alligator can easily take out your Psycho Shocker since it's in Defense Mode! 'Sides, it's not like you got anything stronger than that!"

"Oh. I do. I just was waiting for the right moment to play it. And I am gonna now. But I needed a offering... and I have one. I remove Psycho Shocker from play!!"  
Suddenly, a blast of energy exploded around Psycho Shocker as Jorgé raised up his next card and said "And now!! I PLAY PSYCHO SHOCKER EXCEL IN ATTACK MODE!!!"

Suddenly, Psycho Shocker stood up, the energy around it exploding as it stood with new armor... black spiked shoulder pads were the first noticable thing, along with its' new muscular physique, and a red visor which began to glow brightly, its green mask looking the same. Also, Psycho Shocker Excel's robes had moved some, showing cybernetic legs with green and black armor over them, as well as spikes on its' gloves as well as its' neck showing cybernetics to it... and spikes down its' spine as it then crossed its' arms over its' chest.

PSYCHO SHOCKER EXCEL  
Dark/Machine/8/2900 ATK/2000 DEF  
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing 1 face-up "Psycho Shocker" on your side of the Field from play. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, all Trap Cards cannot be activated. The effects of all face-up Trap Cards are also negated. During your Main Phase, you may discard 1 Machine-Type Monster Card in your hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 Machine-Type Monster from your Graveyard whose Level is lower than the discarded Monster Card's. This effect can only be used once per turn.

"What... the... hell is that thing!? It looks like Psycho Shocker only... only creepier!" Joey asked, looking in shock, as well as feeling some sense of fear from Jorgé's new Monster.

"Meet the evolved form of Psycho Shocker; Psycho Shocker EXCEL. See, I needed Psycho Shocker out to Special Summon it, since I can only Special Summon it by removing a face-up Psycho Shocker on my side of the Field from play. It's all the goodness of Psycho Shocker, negating and sealing all Trap Cards, but with an additional effect."

"Additional? Whaddya mean?" Joey asked, scratching his head.

"What I mean is that I can discard 1 Machine-Type Monster in my hand to the Graveyard, then Special Summon 1 Machine-Type Monster whose Level is lower than the discarded Monster's. So I am gonna discard Android Fist from my hand..." Jorgé took his Android Fist, sliding it into his Graveyard slot as he raised his hand up "Android Saber! Return to the Field!"

Android Saber then appeared onto the Field, its' cape over its' clenched right hand, and its' left handed energy saber glowing as it stood right next to Psycho Shocker EXCEL, which still had Android Shielder on the opposite side, kneeling down. "Psycho Shocker EXCEL! Attack Cyber-Tech Alligator!"

The more heavily-gauntleted arms of Psycho Shocker EXCEL began to spark violently, the crowd looking on in awe as Jorgé shouted "Aegis Cyber Shock!"

Psycho Shocker EXCEL then shot the blast of energy right at Cyber-Tech Alligator, destroying it immediately, dropping Joey's Life Points to 3700. Then, to continue, Jorgé said "Android Saber! Attack Dark Catapulter!"

Android Saber dashed at its' Duelist's command, slicing Dark Catapulter right down the middle, destroying it and leaving Joey's field wide open.

"Now. To continue my turn, I play Emergency Provisions to destroy Heart of the Underdog. Thus, I gain 1000 LP, and am at a solid 5100, Joey. And so, I end my turn."

"Right. My turn!" Joey grinned, actually starting to enjoy himself as he took the card he had drawn, which showed the face of a knight and the face of a beautiful princess and a dice in the center. Sliding the card into his Magic and Trap Card Zone, he then said "I now play the Magic Card, Treasure of Destiny! It works like this! I roll a six-sided dice, and whatever number the dice lands on, I get to draw that same number of cards, but I gotta remove the same number of cards in my Deck from play as well! So, let's see how good my luck is gonna be when I roll the dice!"

A white dice began to bounce out of the image of Treasure of Destiny, as Joey gritted his teeth, watching the dice bounce. He then watched the dice land down, as he got 6! Joey whooped, drawing 6 cards, seeing how large his hand was as he then pulled his Deck out, removing 6 cards from play at the same time.

TREASURE OF DESTINY  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Roll a six-sided dice. Draw cards equal to the dice result, then remove cards in your Deck from play equal to the number of cards you draw with this card's effect.

Joey then looked at his large hand as he nodded, and said "I'll set one card down, then I play Time Wizard in Attack Mode!"

In the Monster Card Zone on Joey's side of the Field, a monster who had the appearance of a red stop watch, with part of its' face in the center being blue with eyes on it, the other half yellow with the big and small hands being green, and in a kind of design like a moustache. Also, the Monster had cogs on its' shoulders as well as around its' ankles, with purple boots and a purple and blue cap, the stopper on the top of its' head being like a hat with a yellow cog around it, and in its' hand was a staff, which had 3 Time Machines and 3 Skulls on it.

Time Wizard did not look like much, and in Joey's Deck, he knew he had a stronger Monster.. but right now, Time Wizard's effect is what he was betting on for success.

TIME WIZARD  
Light/Spellcaster/2/500 ATK/400 DEF  
Effect: Toss a coin and call it heads or tails. If you call it right, your opponent's Monsters on the Field are destroyed. If you call it wrong, your Monsters on the Field are destroyed and you receive Direct Damage equal to half the total ATK of the destroyed Monsters. This effect can only be used once during each of your turns.

"And to make things better... I play Second Coin Toss! This Permanent Magic Card allows me to negate the effect of a coin flip, then redo the flip! I'm sure you see where I am gonna be going with this, Jorgé!"  
"I do... you want to use Time Wizard's effect to destroy my Monsters if you land the call of your coin toss right. Brilliant, but it leaves you open to defeat if you fail. You know this right?"  
Joey nodded and smiled. "Taking risks is my speciality!"

SECOND COIN TOSS  
Permanent Magic Card  
Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, you can negate the effects of a card requiring a coin toss once per turn and redo the coin toss.

"Oh, man... I can't believe he'd make a gamble like this!" Taro thought.

"Yeah, since he'll lose 250 LP if he fails. At least Time Wizard's his only Monster here. That means he'll take less damage if he misses the effect." Yugi replied.  
"Hey, how did Yugi get a card that's a Super Rare like Time Wizard, Yugi?"  
"I gave it to him during the Duelist Kingdom tournament, Taro. He's made good use of it so far, but this is the first time in a while I've seen him call Time Wizard's effect... this could end badly if he misses."

Jo'ken chuckled. "Sorry, Yugi. But Joey's got some damned luck. Once when he was in the hospital, he had a broken leg when the doctor said he shoulda had worse. I am sure he'll land Time Wizard's effect and win!"

Yugi and Taro looked in surprise as Jo'ken smiled. Joey smiled and then said "Time Wizard!!!" He grabbed a silver coin, which had a symbol from the Millennium Items, the Eye of Ra, and the other side had a square on it. The Eye was heads, the square was tails as he said "Let's go!!!" He then threw the coin up into the air. "I call Heads!"

Joey, Jorgé, Jo'ken, Yugi, Taro, and everyone in the crowd all looked up as the coin spun downwards. Joey leapt up and raised his left hand, catching the coin and slapped it on top of his right hand as he grinned and whooped. "It's Heads! Time Wizard! Do your thing!"

Time Wizard spun his staff in his hands, then slammed it down, as a vortex of sorts opened up under Jorgé's Monsters, sucking them into the swirling vortex, and with that... they were gone! Joey smiled as he then raised his hand up and said "And now, to follow up! I play the Quickplay Magic Card, Angel's Dice!"

ANGEL'S DICE  
Quickplay Magic Card  
Effect: When activated, select 1 Monster on your side of the Field with an ATK of 500 points or less. Roll a six-sided dice. Multiply the ATK of the Monster by the result of the dice roll until the End Phase of this turn.

A small angel with small eyes, a pink hat and suit with a black bowtie, holding a blue die appeared, flicking it upward, watching it bounce as Joey looked on, gulping, as the dice landed on 6, which meant Time Wizard's ATK would be multipled by 6, to 3000 points! Joey then said "Time Wizard! Attack!"

Time Wizard's staff began to glow then it shot a blast of energy right at Jorgé, dropping his LP from 5100 points to 2100 in one shot. Joey smiled as he said "Next up, I'll set... 4 cards face-down and end my turn!"

Jorgé looked at Joey and said "My turn." He drew his next card silently, then placed his hand over his Life Point counter and smiled. "For now... I submit."  
"Say what...!?" Joey stood in shock, as Jorgé had just surrendered the Duel to him. Joey fell backwards, then sat up as Jorgé smiled, his back to Joey. "All I wanted to do here in this Duel was summon Psycho Shocker EXCEL, to see if my Android Deck was ready to make use of it. And now I know my answer. I assure you, next time, the outcome will be much different. See ya."

Jorgé then walked off as Joey blinked, standing up as he said "OK... am I the only one confused?"  
"Nope. You aren't." Taro replied, scratching his head.

Yugi smiled and said "He did well though. He gave you a good run for your money, Joey. So, did you have fun?"  
Closing his eyes, Joey then smiled and said "Yeah."

Jo'ken walked over and mussed Joey's hair playfully as he said "You know, Joey, maybe you could teach me this game. I wouldn't try to upstage you or nothin'. I just wanna see what's so damn great about Duel Monsters."

Joey blinked in surprise at his father's request and said "Uhm... OK, Dad, I think I can try."

Yugi and Taro both chuckled at each other as they looked on, seeing as their friend had grown a bit as a Duelist... and now...

Jorgé walked, his hands in his pockets as Senbei walked up beside him suddenly. "So, Jorgé, how was Wheeler as a Duelist?"

"Too serious at first... but much stronger than I assumed. He at least had fun towards the end when his friends and dad showed up. Senbei... you think what we do is a good thing, man?"  
Senbei shook his head. "Not all the time... especially considering what Ms. Sarah's true objective is... but let's not worry about it now. Right now, let's just go back and have a brew. On me."

Jorgé nodded, as he and Senbei walked off, heading to where the Card Hunters were situated, in order to rest up for the next attack.

-To Be Continued...-

To let you all know, guys, I use anime effects for the most part to start things off, then, like GX, I move to official effects from the Official Card Game (Japanese version) and Trading Card Game (English version), with later chapters reflecting the changes that will be done asnd such.


	12. Chapter 12

Episode 12 - Taro vs. Mai! This Is How Dueling Should Be!

At the Kame Game Shop, Mai Valentime, one of the recognized 8 finalists who had gone to Battle City and made it to the finals, who also made it into the top 4 in Duelist KIngdom, and was known for her Harpie Lady Deck, now her Neo Femme Fatale Deck, was gazing at the door before she made her way up to it and opened it slowly. The bells attached to the door rang as Yugi, Solomon, and Taro all turned as one.

"Mai..." Yugi blinked, surprised. "What brings you by?"  
Hearing her name, Mai smiled softly. "I was hoping to find Joey, since I needed to tell him something and maybe practice with him. But it is good to see you here, Yugi."

"Definitely! I agree!" Yugi smiled back.

"Mai Valentine?" Taro blinked. "Wow."

Solomon chuckled then grabbed Yugi in a playful headlock, whispering "Yugi... is this lovely woman a girlfriend of yours? And if not, can I have her?!"

Taro then slapped his grandfather upside the head playfully. "Grandpa, don't even kid like that! Hey, Mai..."  
Mai looked at Taro and said "Who are you?"  
Clearing his throat, Taro smiled and said "I'm one of the finest sensations in Duel Monsters to come out of Odaiba, Tokyo! I'm the master of Machines, even more so than former US champ, 'Bandit' Keith Howard! I am a student under my grandpa, Solomon Mutoh and I am Yugi's cousin! The name is Kentaro Mutoh! But please call me Taro!"

"Taro? You mean like the starchy potatoes?" Asked Mai, confused.  
Taro cried out, and fell backwards, getting up as he said "Yeah, and your point isssssss... what?"  
Mai giggled and waved her hand. "Nothing, nothing. Anyhow, what is it, Taro?"

"If you wanna take someone on in a practice Duel, how about me? I admit, I'm not as well-known as Yugi and Joey, but I am pretty damn good in my own right! Besides, you wanna really have fun in a Duel? Try takin' on someone new! So, whaddya say?"

Thinking on her decision, Mai smiled and said "OK. Let's go for it."

Outside of the Kame Game Shop, Taro slid his Duel Disk on and locked it into the ready position, slapping his Deck into his Duel Disk, smiling. "Alright, let's get this started!"

Mai took her Deck and slapped it into her Duel Disk's deck slot and smiled. "You bet, shorty!"

Taro blinked at that, drawing his first five cards, as did Mai.

Mai then winked and said "My first turn!" Mai drew her sixth card, examining her hand as she took a card and said "I play Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode!"

Appearing on the Field was a Harpie Lady whom looked like the original Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady 1, but she had darkish purple bondage-like armor on much of her body as she slashed the air with her claws, then landed down in front of Mai, some of her green feathers landing down on the ground.

CYBER HARPIE LADY  
Wind/Winged Beast/4/1800 ATK/1300 DEF  
Effect: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady".

"And then I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." Mai said.  
"My turn! Draw!" Taro grinned as he drew his next card, and said "I play Battle Footballer in Defense Mode!"

Battle Footballer appeared on Taro's side of the Field, arms crossed over its' body as it was kneeling down on its' own Duel Monsters card as Taro then took Scapegoat from his hand and said "I then set a card down! Turn end!"

Solomon smiled and said "Harpie Lady, eh..? A very interesting Deck idea..."

"Yeah. Mai has used other kinds of Monsters before, Grandpa, but she's recently told us that she has rediscovered her passion for Dueling without having a desire to win so much, and made her Deck from Harpie Lady to a Neo Femme Fatale theme. To get the whole jist, Joey might explain it if he's up for it."  
Solomon nodded. "I get you, Yugi. 'Nuff said. Now let's just watch. I wanna see how this goes!"

"My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her next card, then said "Next, I play the Equip Magic Card, Arrow Claw. When this Equip Magic Card is played, which it can only be equipped to Harpie Ladies, it raises her ATK by 300 points. Now she's at 2100 thanks to the effect, even if your Battle Footballer's DEF is also 2100."

ARROW CLAW  
Equip Magic Card  
Effect: Increase the ATK of either "Harpie Lady" or "Harpie Lady Sisters" by 300 points. When this card goes from the Field to the Graveyard, you can equip this card on a "Harpie Lady" or "Harpie Lady Sisters" on your side of the Field.

"Yeah? You wanna try to blow through my defense, Mai? Check this out! I play Scapegoat!"

The four colored sheep tokens all appeared onto the Field right next to Battle Footballer, all smiling and bleating happily as Taro thrusted his index finger with his thumb sticking up as he said "How do you like that?"  
"I like that a lot, Taro. Because I needed that for my set card. Trap Card, activate! Nightmare Tri-Mirror! When you played Scapegoat, I am able to make Copy Tokens of 1 Monster on my side of the Field. And I choose Cyber Harpie Lady naturally!"

Yugi looked on as did Solomon when suddenly, 4 more Cyber Harpie Ladies appeared on Mai's side of the Field, as Taro gulped. "Holy frijoles!!! 4 more Harpies!"  
"Yep." Mai smiled as she said "I haven't had an opportunity to use this Trap Card in a while, and even if it was from a 'darker' time in my life, I think it works fine now... it'll prove useful, that's for sure."

NIGHTMARE TRI-MIRROR  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: During this turn, you may Special Summon a number of "Copy Tokens" of 1 Monster on your side of the Field equal to the number of Monsters Flip Summoned or Special Summoned by your opponent. A "Copy Token"'s ATK, DEF, Level, Type, and Attribute are the same as 1 of your Monsters on the Field. "Copy Tokens" cannot attack during your turn.

"But my Copy Tokens can't attack, so now I'll just set a card face-down and end my turn."  
Taro looked on and spoke to himself, reflecting on what just happened in just a short bit into the Duel. 'Man... Mai's Deck IS good! I heard she was talented, but damn, gettin' out 5 Harpie Ladies in such a short time, even if 4 of 'em are Tokens, is a helluva feat! And since my Sheep Tokens are in play, I can't sacrifice 'em to play Perfect Machine King or any other Monsters. But that doesn't mean I can't still sacrifice. But keepin' on the defensive's my best bet... just in case.'

"My turn! Draw!" Taro drew his next card and said "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

Mai smiled and thought to herself 'I see. He's holding his defense up until he can do something else. And he knows Sheep Tokens can't be used in Sacrifice Summons. But that doesn't mean he can't hold off for too long.'

"My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her next card then held it forward. "I now play Pot of Greed! As you know, I get to draw 2 cards with this card." Mai drew 2 cards swiftly from her Deck, getting Tribute Doll and Harpie's Pet Dragon, now having a plan ready. "I play Tribute Doll! This Magic Card lets me sacrifice a Monster on my side of the Field to Special Summon 1 Level 7 Monster from my hand to the Field, but the Level 7 Monster I Special Summon can't attack! I'll sacrifice my leftmost Copy Token!"

TRIBUTE DOLL  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Activate this card by offering a Monster on your side of the Field as a Sacrifice. Special Summon 1 Level 7 Monster from your hand. That Monster cannot attack this turn.

One of Mai's Copy Tokens began to glow, then exploded, as Mai took Harpie's Pet Dragon in her hand and showed it to Taro. "And for Tribute Doll's effect, I Special Summon Harpie's Pet Dragon in Attack Mode!!"

In a flash, a large pinkish colored dragon with a golden chain and collar around its' next, black around the majority of its' face, save for its' jaw and ears, the green and golden crest on its' forehead, and its' light pink eyes as it roared, slamming its' tail down on the ground, its' short wings glowing from its' arms as it breathed quietly, but fiercely.

HARPIE'S PET DRAGON  
Wind/Dragon/7/2000 ATK/2500 DEF  
Effect: The ATK and DEF of this card is increased by 300 points for each face-up "Harpie Lady" on the Field.

"And thanks to Harpie's Pet Dragon's effect, its' ATK goes up by 1200 points, as does its' DEF, due to my Cyber Harpie Lady and her 3 Copy Tokens sisters!"

Harpie's Pet Dragon's current ATK/DEF - 3200/3700

"Next, I play my set Trap Card for an additional attack boost! Activate Aqua Chorus! When this Continuous Trap Card is in play, if I have any Monsters on the Field with the same name as one another, their ATK and DEF is increased by 500 points!"

AQUA CHORUS  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: If there are Monster Cards of the same name on the Field, the ATK and DEF of those cards are increased by 500 points.

A beautiful long red-haired woman appeared onto the Field, with a flowing white robe, a golden collar, belt, and bracelets, as well as a tiara of sorts with wings near her ears, her hands clasped together, her eyes closed as she began to sing, and Mai's four Harpie Ladies' stats all increased! Her three Copy Tokens's stats changed to 2300/1800, and her Cyber Harpie Lady, already charged thanks to Arrow Claw, was now at 2600/1800!

Yugi looked on and said "A whole new tactic to power up Harpie Ladies, Mai!? Whoa! Looks like you've really compensated when you took the Seal of Orichalcos out!"  
"You're very right, Yugi. Joey was right with what he told me. He said I was strong without Doma, and I am showing that right now! Now, to make my Battle Phase! Cyber Harpie Lady, attack the red Sheep Token!"

Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady charged forward across the field, slicing Taro's red Sheep Token in half as Taro smiled and said "That all?"

"Not in the least! Copy Token, attack the blue Sheep Token!" One of Mai's Copy Tokens charged forward, then slashed Taro's blue Sheep Token right in half as Mai then said "Alright, Copy Token, now the orange!"

Another of Mai's Copy Tokens charged, smashing the orange Sheep Token with her feet talons, blowing it up as Taro now only had 2 Monsters left, and luckily, thanks to Tribute Doll's effect, Harpie's Pet Dragon, the biggest of Taro's problems, couldn't attack then! "Now, Copy Token, the last one! Destroy the last Sheep Token!"

The last of Mai's Copy Tokens charged, and slashed Taro's Pink Sheep Token in half, destroying it, and leaving only Battle Footballer on the Field.

"My turn is over, Taro. You're up."

Taro nodded and said "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card and smiled as he said "I play Graceful Charity! As you know, this Magic Card lets me draw 3 cards, then discard any 2 I please to the Graveyard."

Taro's hand right now had 4 cards, so he swiftly and carefully drew 3 cards, now having 7 cards in play. He noticed one of his Monsters was X-Head Cannon. Sure, it didn't mean much, but, he also had set Gears of Rebirth earlier. He could discard it, then activate Gears of Rebirth. Taro also noticed he had one other card to complete his combo. He exhaled and then took X-Head Cannon from his hand as well as Perfect Machine King and showed them to Mai. "My cards to discard are X-Head Cannon and Perfect Machine King!"

Taro slid his two cards into the Graveyard, as he smiled. "And now since Graceful Charity's effect is resolved, I play my set card, Gears of Rebirth, allowing me to Special Summon a Level 4 Machine-Type Monster from my Graveyard to the Field in Defense Mode. My Monster is X-Head Cannon!"

The card of Gears of Rebirth flipped face-up, the gears on it beginning to turn, and in a flash, X-Head Cannon returned to the Field, arms crossed over its' body as Taro then took another card from his hand and said "I will next play Ties of the Brethern! At the cost of 1000 Life Points, I can Special Summon up to 2 other Level 4 Monsters from my Deck or hand with the same Attribute and Type as one other Monster on my side of the Field! My Monster will be X-Head Cannon, so I get to Special Summon 2 Light and Machine-Type Monsters!"

Taro's Life Points dropped from 4000 to 3000 as he then pulled his Deck out then pulled out Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank, shouting out "So I Special Summon Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank to the Field!"

Appearing on the opposite sides of X-Head Cannon were Y-Dragon Head, with its' wings over its' body, and Z-Metal Tank, its' weapons closed.

TIES OF THE BRETHERN  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points. Special Summon 2 Level 4 Monsters from your hand or Deck whose Attribute and Type are the same as one other Monster on your side of the Field in face-up Defense Mode. The Special Summoned Monsters cannot be used in a Sacrifice Summon this turn, and cannot attack.

"Not bad, but you can't attack with those 3, or sacrifice them to summon a stronger Monster. Brilliant way to supply your Field with Monsters, but not good enough to best me."  
"Yeah, but where on Bonds of Brotherhood does it say I can't remove my Monsters from play, Mai?"  
Mai raised an eyebrow then said "Wait a minute!"

"Yep! X, Y, Z, combine together, guys! That means all 3 of you are removed from play!" X, Y, and Z all shot up into the air, as X slammed down onto Y, twisting itself into play, as Y folded its' wings against itself, and Z opened up its' back, allowing X and Y to land on it as they formed... "Now, you get to face one of my stronger Machine-Type Monsters! XYZ-Dragon Cannon in Attack Mode! My quadruple Special Summon combo attack to Special Summon them!"

Mai looked in shock as Taro continued with his turn. "Next, I'll discard 2 cards from my hand to use XYZ-Dragon Cannon's effect, destroying Harpie's Pet Dragon AND Aqua Chorus!"

Taro took 2 cards from his hand, now having 3 cards as he slid them into his Graveyard slot, blasts shooting at Harpie's Pet Dragon and Aqua Chorus, destroying them both as Mai looked on. "Now! XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Attack one of Mai's Copy Tokens!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon's cannons all locked onto target, firing and blowing away one of Mai's Copy Tokens, dropping her LP from 4000 to 3000 also, making the Duel rather even now! "Next up, I'll place a card face-down and that'll be that."  
"My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her next card, looking at it as she said "Now, I'll set a card face-down, and I end my turn."

'Why set a card? Can't worry about that.' "My turn!" Taro drew his next card, then said "XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Attack the Cyber Harpie Lady with Arrow Claw!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon charged forward, as Mai smiled and said "Trap Card! Mirror Wall!" Taro gulped as then a mirror-like barrier appeared around Mai's Harpies, blocking XYZ-Dragon Cannon's attack, cutting it to 1400, as Mai's Cyber Harpie Lady charged, slashing XYZ-Dratgon Cannon in half, dropping Taro's Life Points by 700 points to 2300. Taro then said "So I shoulda known this was gonna happen. I still haven't made a Normal Summon, so I'll set one Monster face-down on the Field and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her next card and said "I will not pay for Mirror Wall, so that's gone!" In a flash, Mirror Wall exploded as Mai took a card from her hand and showed it to Taro. "But I now play the Magic Card, Elegant Egotist! This Magic Card lets me Special Summon a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters from my Deck if I have a Harpie Lady on the Field. And I Special Summon a Harpie Lady Sisters in Attack Mode!"

With Mai's summoning, the beautiful Harpie Lady Sisters took to the Field, floating right together in a triangle formation, as Mai smiled and said "This is my Harpie Lady V formation, Taro! All my Monsters united, and I can keep moving up if I'd like! But I'll step it up and bring out one of my lovely birds. I sacrifice 2 of my Copy Tokens in order to summon The Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys in Attack Mode!"

A flash of fire wrapped around 2 of Mai's Copy Tokens, as with a roar, a large golden orb appeared, opening up slowly to show a golden phoenix with flames for tail feathers, as well as head feathers, long arms, and a lower body like a phoenix, as well as somewhat of a human body as it roared loudly, landing down near Mai's Monsters.

SACRED PHOENIX OF NEPHTHYS  
Fire/Winged Beast/8/2400 ATK/1600 DEF  
Effect: If this card is destroyed by a card effect, Special Summon this card during your next Standby Phase. If you Special Summoned this card successfully in this way, destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on the Field.

"The phoenix is much like myself somewhat... reborn after death... I myself however am reborn completely anew, to find my passion again, and be with those who are my friends. Nephthys, attack his face-down Monster!"

Nephthys pulled its' head back, flames igniting around it as Mai said "Phoenix Ignition!"  
Then the golden phoenix shot forward, smashing down at Taro's face-down Monster. Taro covered his arms as then, his face-down card was revealed! The Monster was a red sphere with a timer much like the knob on a safe, as well as 4 sharp spider-like legs to grasp onto something appeared, then slammed onto Nephthys as Mai said "What the-!?"

BLAST SPHERE  
Dark/Machine/4/1400 ATK/1400 DEF  
Effect: When this card is attacked while face-down, it becomes an Equip Card on the Monster that attacked it (damage calculations do not apply). During your opponent's next Standby Phase, destroy this card and Equipped Monster. After that, inflict Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the Equipped Monster's ATK.

"Meet Blast Sphere, Mai. When this card is attacked while face-down, it becomes an Equip Card on the Monster that attacked it. And during your next Standby Phase, it's gonna be destroyed! Even if your Phoenix comes back during your next Standby Phase, it won't count for when I destroy it with Blast Sphere!"

"Not bad, not bad at all, Taro." Mai smiled.

"Thanks." Taro smiled back.

Solomon and Yugi looked on as Solomon said "A very creative strategy indeed. This should be interesting."

"Yep. Taro is good at thinking on his feet and he must have guessed this would happen. Now, he's just gotta hold Mai off as best as he can."

Mai smiled and said "So I end my Battle Phase, but now I play Harpie Lady Houou Formation! With this card, for every Harpie Lady on my side of the Field, I can destroy the same number of Monsters on your side of the Field and inflict damage to your Life Points equal to the combined ATK of all those Monsters. Since you got one, one it is!"

One of Mai's Cyber Harpie Ladies then had a blue flame wrap around her that then took the form of a phoenix, shooting forward then smashing Battle Footballer, blowing it up, dropping Taro's Life Points to 1300 points, as Mai said "My turn is over now."

"My turn." Taro drew his next card, and showed it to Mai. "I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards quickly, then said "I will next play Swords of Revealing Light! This is gonna hold you off for 3 turns, so you can't attack!"

Glowing swords shot around all of Mai's side of the Field, blocking off her Monsters as Taro wiped his forehead then took another card from his hand and said "I will next set a card down and end my turn."

Yugi smiled as he said "Nice work, but I could tell you that Mai has something planned to."  
"Yes, but this is what a Duel should be like, Yugi. It should be a match of fun, not of who's heart of Duelist is better or not. In fact, that kind of thing doesn't exist at times... since everyone all the world has his or her own way to play Duel Monsters, and discovering that makes the game even more fun."  
Yugi nodded, smiling as he turned back to the Duel at hand.

SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Flip all face-down Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field face-up. Any Flip Effects the Monsters may have are immediately activated. This card remains face-up on the Field for 3 of your opponent's turns. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, your opponent cannot declare an attack.

"My turn." Mai drew her next card, as Blast Sphere then began to beep rapidly then it exploded, as Mai cried out, her Sacred Phoenix destroyed, and her Life Points dropped by 2400 points to 600 points. Mai moved her arms down but then smiled as she said "Kudos to you, Taro, for such a skilled move. So far, I've got one of my Harpie Ladies left, a Harpie Lady Sisters, and a Copy Token. Even if I can't attack you now, my next card to play... is Monster Reborn! And with it... I Special Summon forth Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

In a flash, Mai's Harpie's Pet Dragon returned to the Field, its' ATK at 2900, and its' DEF 3400 thanks to its' effect of gaining 300+ ATK and DEF for every Harpie Lady on the Field.

"I will set a card down and now end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Taro drew his next card, having gotten Monster Reborn also! And his one of set cards, 7 Completed, placed as a precaution, could help now. He had his chance. "I also play Monster Reborn! My Monster to come back is Perfect Machine King!"

In a flash, Perfect Machine King rose out of the earth, punching the air as Taro said "Now I play the Equip Magic Card, 7 Completed! This little number lets me raise a Machine-Type Monster's ATK by 700 points or its' DEF by the same amount, and I choose ATK to raise Perfect Machine King to 3400 points!"

Perfect Machine King's body began to glow as it then slammed its' fists together, its' fists sparking and its' ATK now at 3400 thanks to 7 Completed's effect. "Perfect Machine King! Fire!! Attack Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

Perfect Machine King's missile hatches opened up as it shot a barrage of missiles right at Mai's Pet Dragon. Mai then said "I was waiting for you to do that. I activate the Trap Card, Mirror Force!"

'Mirror Force?!!' All 3 Mutoh males thought aloud as then a mirror-like barrier appeared, blocking Perfect Machine King's missiles and redirecting them right back at itself, destroying Taro's Monster, and leaving his Field open for an attack.

Taro exhaled, but grinned as he said "Turn end!"

Mai smiled, then said "My turn. Draw." She drew her next card, and said "Well, it's been a real slice, Taro, but I think I just drew the card that'll help me win this Duel. I play Harpie's Feather Duster!"

HARPIE'S FEATHER DUSTER  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on your opponent's side of the Field.

The image to Harpie's Feather Duster was a feather that had a handle on the end with a gold hoop at the end seeming to destroy a Trap Card that was set. Suddenly, a spiraling wind shot to Taro's side of the Field, blowing away Taro's set card, Negate Attack, as well as Swords of Revealing Light, since it had to be face-up on the Field during the 3 turns its' effect was in play. Taro cried out, his whole Field opened, but even if he was beat, he was smiling.

Mai smiled also as she said "Thank you again for the enjoyable Duel, Taro. I must admit, if you had faced me when I was a part of Doma, I'd have been angry that you were close to beating me, but I wouldn't have gotten anything out of my victories at all... all I would have gotten was the true emptiness I had felt for most of my life, until I met your cousin and his friends."

"Hey, glad to oblige, Mai. I've had a blast this Duel too! Go ahead and make your attack, and feel proud!"

Mai nodded as she pointed at Taro. "Harpie's Pet Dragon! Direct Attack the player!"  
Harpie's Pet Dragon shot forward, roaring as a blast of fire shot from its' mouth, blasting Taro, and dropping his Life Points to 0. Taro then wiped his brow and grinned as Mai smiled.

"Nice work, Mai." Yugi smiled, walking forward. "So, feeling better about Dueling when victory isn't your only concern?"

Mai exhaled then nodded. "I actually do. Once again, I get that good warm feeling, and my fears and anxieties about what Marik did to me just fade away, as well as the bad feelings I felt feeling I was in your guys' shadows. Now, I just wanna enjoy myself more, Yugi."

"Good, Mai."

Taro walked up and rubbed his head and grinned. "I gotta Duel you again sometime, Mai! I had such fun doing this!"  
"Me too, and you can count on that, Taro." Mai winked and smiled. Taro grinned as Yugi chuckled, and Solomon just smiled as well. Mai then gave a gesture as she then snapped her fingers. "Oh! Yugi..." Mai then put her hand into her pocket, digging around, as she then pulled out a folded up slip of paper. "Give this to Joey when you see him. OK?"  
"You can count on it, Mai."

Mai winked and then waved. "See ya later." She then walked off, as Solomon sighed, a blush on his cheeks. "What a lovely young woman... reminds me a lot of your boys' grandma, God bless her soul."  
"Grandpa, Mai's the kinda woman who'd eat you alive, and you know that. Jeez, I knew you were like this ever since Grandma died, but yeesh!" Taro replied, rolling his eyes, his arms crossed, as he then looked at Yugi. "Yuge, what's the note say?"

"I'm not gonna pry! It could just be something of an address, or something only meant for Joey's eyes, Taro!" Yugi shouted.

"OK, OK, I was just sayin' is all, man!" Taro replied.

At this moment, standing on top of a telephone pole, arms crossed was a man... he had spiked up black hair, a red mask over much of his face, save for his mouth, with white areas over the eyes to hide his face. He also had a black long sleeved shirt with brown gloves, and on his right arm rested a Duel Disk. His pants were green cargo pants, only bigger, with the pantlegs tucked into boots as well as a red bandana on his arm as he said "The boys are getting stronger. I'm sure I'll have to test Yugi to see if he is ready to deal with the Card Hunters' leader." And then, as soon as he was there, he was gone in a flash...

-To Be Continued...-


	13. Chapter 13

Episode 13 - Tristan's Training Begins! The Call of the Elemental Hero

Tristan Taylor. Age, 17 years old. He was not known for too much. Just for being a kind of tough too, along with Joey Wheeler, his best friend for the last 11 years of his life. Tristan wasn't the best student, but he was loyal through and through. He right now wondered about himself. Just what kind of role he had with Yugi and his other friends. He kept walking, his bag against his back as Joey came running up. "Hey, Tristan! Hold up a sec, man!"

Tristan stopped and looked at Joey. "Sup?"

"Sup? Dude, you just started to walk off! What is up?"

Tristan shrugged. "I just want to get some time to myself. Is that a problem?"

"No, it's just, you look like you've been slucking all week! Can't you talk with me or anyone else about this?"

"What it is is my business and I wanna do it for myself! OK!? Jeez!" Tristan soon then took off as Joey blinked in surprise and thought to himself 'What... was... that all about!?'

Tristan soon was walking along a street, his hands in his pockets, his schoolbag under his right arm as he said "Joey just doesn't get it... what I wanna do, I need to do for myself. Aw, what's the use? I'm not gonna be good at Dueling period. I even tried a few times when I had to, but I still just want to do more than I have been doing. What kind of a sign do I need to show I can get better?!" He soon looked up at the sky and said "Gimme a sign! Some kind of sign!!"

Soon, Tristan looked about, seeing a game shop, which looked a lot different than the one that he was used to, the Kame Game Shop. He blinked and stepped inside, looking around. "Hello! Is anyone here?"

Tristan closed the door, the sound of the bell on the door ringing as he looked around. The game shop he had stepped into was a fairly decent size, having counters for board games, puzzles, even a set for card games. Tristan looked about, seeing Magic The Gathering as one of the card games offered. And looked when he also saw Duel Monsters booster packs!

From the back, he looked up and heard someone walking out to the counter. He looked at the person, whom was about 65 or so, smiling as he tightened his bandana. "You're one of the first few people I've seen step in here for a time. It's been 2 weeks since my regular customers stopped by... most of them must be heading to the Kame Game Shop and the Black Crown nowadays."

"Really? I didn't even know other shops were in town."  
The elderly man smiled and nodded. "We are. My name is Sakyo. It's nice to meet you, young man. May I ask your name?"  
"It's Tristan. Tristan Taylor. Listen, I know about the Black Crown and the Kame Game Shop. A friend of mine is in charge of the Crown, and my other friend's grandpa runs the Kame Game Shop. So, what makes you stay in business, Sakyo, given the competition?"

"My love of games. My regulars do show. Just not so regularly. But I cannot hang up the towel so easily when I know the competition is rough. Oh!" Sakyo smiled, getting out a box of Duel Monsters cards and said "I take it you like Duel Monsters. Here." He soon pulled out a card, having handed it to Tristan. "It's on the house."

Tristan blinked in surprise, taking the card and looked at it. The card image showed a man with wings of beautiful white, with green armor along his back, red dots atop the winged armor. He also had green fur, or was it feathers?, along his body, save for his grey chest and white areas to show shoulder and neck armor. His face was with green, save for his nose and jaw being visible, a red-like mask over his face, as well as having a red claw on his right arm.

"Elemental Hero... Featherman? Never heard of this card before." Tristan spoke, blinking at the card.

ELEMENTAL HERO FEATHERMAN  
Wind/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/1000 DEF

"Heh. He may not seem like much, but he is part of the Elemental Heroes, a group of Duel Monsters said to be some strong cards. A lot of them Fuse into new Monsters, making even stronger combinations than before. That is their true power."

Tristan still looked at Featherman's card, then spoke up. "Hey, Sakyo, I had been wanting to pick up some stuff for Duel Monsters, since my friends play. I was wondering if you could assist me on that department perhaps. Like, say, I come in every day or try to, assist somehow, like advertisements and such, and you teach me Duel Monsters tactics and such?"

Sakyo rubbed his chin, then dusted off his dark blue long sleeved tee shirt as he smiled. "A most interesting offer, Tristan. Alright. I won't be able to pay you though, so teaching you seems like an interesting way to pay you back for your assistance."  
"Awesome!" Tristan smiled, placing Featherman's card into his bookbag and said "Uh, you want me to go back home and get changed? I mean, my house is like, around the corner really!"

Sakyo nodded and said "And hurry back!"

"Yessir!" Tristan was then off like a dart as Sakyo chuckled softly to himself.

Days soon passed, as Tristan did all kinds of work for Sakyo; sweeping, mopping, inventory, arranging the items out in the glass case, and other tasks... and in return, Sakyo would help him re-learn Duel Monsters, as well as teach him strategies. In fact...

Sakyo was right now sipping some tea as he sat with Tristan near the counter. "OK, do you see what you can do here as a tactic, Tristan? Look at my Field. What do you see?"  
"I see... you have The Masked Beast in play, as well as nothing else."

"Right. So take a look at your hand and show me what you can do." Sakyo replied.

However, unbeknownest to them, Joey, Yugi, and Téa had been walking by the game shop. Tristan turned around and cried out, ducking behind the counter as he whispered "Those are my friends! Sakyo, if they see me, who knows how many questions I'm gonna need to answer?!? You gotta cover for me!"  
"OK. Consider it done."

Joey blinked while stopping in front of the store and said "Games Galore. Never heard of this place. As odd as it also sounds guys... I thought I saw Tristan in there! That no-good jerkoff! How can he go and ditch us for the last 4 days and show up here!?"

"Hey, Joey, let's just go in and see if he is here." Yugi had said, pushing the door open. Tristan's teeth began to chatter a bit as he was feelin' scared. He gulped some, as Sakyo looked at the others and smiled.

"Welcome, welcome! What brings you three in here?!" The elderly shopkeep soon sipped his tea, smiling, as Téa bowed. "We had come to see if a friend of ours was in here. About... this tall.." Téa had her hand up to about where Joey was in height, then said "With brown hair that's kind of pointy, goes to Domino High?"

"Never seen him." Sakyo chuckled. "But I can interest you in anything you'd like.'

Yugi blinked, seeing the two Duel Monsters gamemats and pointed to them. "How come there's 2 of them here?"  
"I was having a fun game to myself is all, young man. Now I know who you are! You're Yugi Mutoh!"

Yugi blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his head as Sakyo smiled and pulled his Masked Beast from the Field, holding it up to Yugi. "Could you sign it? Make it out to Sakyo."

"Uhm, sure... got a pen?" Sakyo quickly pulled a pen out when Yugi had said that. Yugi then signed the Masked Beast card, handing it back to Sakyo. "If you do see our friend, tell him we're looking for him? We've been concerned a bit since he hasn't shown up to meet up with us the last few days."

Tristan heard what Yugi had said, frowning a bit as he now was starting to feel guilty about dodging his friends. But he wanted to wait for the right moment, so that then he could tell them what he had been up to. He remained silent as Sakyo nodded. "I will let him now. He does live around here, yes?"  
"Mmm-hmmm. Thanks again." Yugi waved, as did Téa and Joey, as the trio headed out the shop, closing the door.

Tristan stood up once Sakyo motioned to him and groaned a bit. "Man, I feel bad for dodgin' my friends, but I want to not let them know about my training here just yet."  
"I do understand that, Tristan. On the bright side, I got the autograph of Yugi Mutoh! I never knew that you were friends with the King of Duelists." Sakyo chuckled, sipping his tea. Tristan exhaled and nodded. "I woulda told you, but then who knows what would have happened."

"C'mon. Let's continue our game."

Tristan nodded, getting up and sitting back down on a stool set up for him as he looked at his hand. "OK. I see what I can do now with the help you gave my Deck after you suggested I consider using Elemental Heroes. I'll discard King of the Swamp from my hand to the Graveyard to invoke its' effect."

KING OF THE SWAMP  
Water/Aqua/3/500 ATK/1100 DEF  
Effect: You can substitute this card for any 1 Fusion-Material Monster. When you do this, the other Fusion-Material Monster(s) must be the correct one(s). Discard this card from your hand to the Graveyard to add a "Polymerization" Magic Card from your Deck to your hand. The Deck is then shuffled.

"And I get to add 1 copy of Polymerization from my Deck to my hand." Tristan pulled his Deck out, then placed Polymerization into his hand, setting it face-down to shuffle his Deck. He placed his Deck down carefully, taking Polymerization, showing it to Sakyo. "I'll start now by playing Polymerization, sending Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burst Lady from my hand to the Graveyard." Tristan took the two cards, placing them onto his Graveyard pile on top of King of the Swamp, then pulled out one of the most interesting-looking of his cards from his Fusion Deck, placing it onto the Field as he said "And I Special Summon via Fusion, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman in Attack Mode!"

ELEMENTAL HERO BURST LADY  
Fire/Warrior/3/1200 ATK/800 DEF

ELEMENTAL HERO FLAME WINGMAN  
Wind/Warrior-Fusion/8/2100 ATK/1200 DEF  
"Elemental Hero Featherman" + "Elemental Hero Burst Lady"  
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. When this Monster destroys a Monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the ATK of the destroyed Monster.

Flame Wingman appeared to be very different. His large muscular body was different, with no human features whatsoever. His face had no mouth, and he had red eyes and marks along his green face, as well as pointy ears. His left arm had what appeared to be a dragon's head, red and black with much of the red going from his upper arm to the left sideof his chest. His right arm looked normal enough, and he also had a white wing with 3 black spikes protruding from the top of it as well as black along his mid-section and legs. And a red and black tail also.

Tristan knew Flame Wingman's effect would help a lot here. But he still needed a way to attack Masked Beast, which had 3200 ATK, and Flame Wingman, despite being Level 8 as well, had only 2100 ATK. Tristan soon noticed he had Block Attack in his hand! Maybe this would come in handy since Masked Beast was in Attack Mode! He took it and showed it to Sakyo.

"Next move of mine, I'll change Masked Beast to Defense Mode with the Magic Card, Block Attack!" Tristan smiled.

Sakyo nodded, turning his Masked Beast from vertical, to horizontal position, then Tristan continued his turn as he said "And now I'll have Flame Wingman attack!"

Sakyo took his Masked Beast, placing it into the Graveyard as Tristan added "And you lose 3200 Life Points due to Flame Wingman's effect."

"And that, my apprentice, is game. You've gotten quite a bit better. I bet not once since we began that you wouldn't have thought of that when we began our exchange. Did you?"

"No way! I am glad you showed me what you could! I think I could at least give it a whirl to see how I'd fare against anyone of my friends... well, with the exception being Yugi of course! No way am I ready to take him on at any point!" Tristan replied, laughing as he rubbed the back of his head.

Sakyo chuckled and smiled. "Yes. I do feel you are ready. Your Deck is clear, you use a good clear head, and you've shown fantastic progress. Let us go and let the world know your training is complete."

"Yessir!" Tristan saluted playfully, smiling as he did.

At the Kame Game Shop, Yugi sighed a bit as he said "Man, I sure hope Tristan's OK. He's not been to see us in a couple of days... and I'm worried."

"Ah, I'm sure he's fine! The guy's just doin' something that's preoccupied his time." Duke replied, twirling a dice in hand.

Taro nodded. "Well, you can ask him now, guys!"

Téa blinked when she looked up from reading her magazine, Melody sitting with her. "What do you mean?"  
"Yes, Taro-kun, what do you mean?"

"Well, 'cause Tristan's walkin' up right now!!"

Joey blinked and looked out of the window as well. "You're right! It's that same guy also from the Games Galore shop! What's he doin' with Tristan!?"

Tristan soon stepped into the door, Sakyo following him as he smiled. "Hey, guys. What up?"  
"What up?! Dude, what are you doin' here with the owner of the Games Galore shop near your house!? Where've you been this whole time!?"  
"Training. I came to show the fruits of my labor to you guys. That's why I came here."

Sakyo nodded. "We had made a deal. And when you all showed up, my apprentice had to duck and cover because he didn't wish for you to know about his training just yet. Now though, that I feel he is ready, and so does he, he wishes to challenge one of you to a Duel to show that his progress is made."

Duke chuckled. "Seriously? Tristan, I didn't think you'd be so serious as to do something like taking lessons from others!"  
"OK, Duke. You find it so funny? How about you and me, right now?"

"Me? Against you? Did you forget, Tristan, I've got more experience as a Duelist than you, so what's the point?"  
"The point is, it's merely for practice, and unless you're scared..." Tristan replied, pulling his Deck out.

"Scared? I'm not scared of anything! I'll accept your challenge then!"

Outside, after borrowing some Duel Disks, Tristan and Duke had their Decks ready as Melody looked to Yugi, Joey, and Téa. "Do you three know how Duke or Tristan Duel? I do not believe I have seen them Duel before... so this may be interesting, I must say."  
"Yeah! Anyone got the 411?" Taro added, hands in his pockets.

"No clue, but given Duke, his Deck is based off Dungeon Dice Monsters, the game he created, as well as Dice based cards. Tristan is a mystery even to me at this point. I still wonder what the heck he is gonna be doing in a Duel like this." Yugi replied, scratching his head.

Sakyo chuckled and smiled. "Do not worry about it. You will see Tristan's strength when he begins."

Tristan and Duke draw their first 5 cards as Tristan said "You wanna start, or should I?"  
"Go ahead. I don't give a damn who goes first, since I do got some idea of how this is gonna end, given the sacrifice you made during the whole thing with Noah. So go ahead and make your move."

Tristan nodded. "My turn!" He then drew his sixth card, looking at his hand as he took a card from his hand and said "I'll start by setting a Monster face-down, followed by placing 1 card face-down. That's that!" Tristan said, as 2 Duel Monsters cards appeared onto the Field, one face-down and horizontal, the other vertical.

"Fine. My turn!" Drawing his next card, Duke looked at his hand and smiled as he said "I start my turn by playing Strike Ninja in Attack Mode!"

Duke's summon allowed a ninja to appear on the Field. This one was mostly in black, save for a red scarf around his neck, a red belt with gold alone it, golden armbands and shoulderbands and anklebands, as well as golden kneepads with red arrow like shapes, and a golde mask with red eyes being visible. This ninja also had two kunais in his hands, as Tristan was familiar with Strike Ninja, since he was a Monster in Dungeon Dice Monsters, the game Duek had created.

STRIKE NINJA  
Dark/Warrior/4/1700 ATK/1200 DEF  
Effect: You can remove this card from play until the End Phase of this turn by removing 2 DARK Monsters in your Graveyard from play. You can use this effect during either player's turn. You can only use this effect once per turn.

"And I will now have him attack! Strike Ninja! Attack his face-down Monster!" At Duke's command, Strike Ninja was off, sprinting forward quickly, his left kunai raised up, as he showed why he was also known as Swift Black Ninja, having moved in close, and slashed at Tristan's face-down card, but what came out of it blocked Strike Ninja's kunai with its' right arm!

"What the-!?" Duke replied as Tristan smiled and said "Time you met one of my new best friends! Duke Devlin, meet Elemental Hero Clayman!"

Clayman had an even odder design than Strike Ninja had, it seemed. His body was completely grey, save for gold along his upper arm area, with semi circle shoulders, as well as square-like wrists, and golden feet, as well as black around the head. His face was just a red circular area with 2 golden gashes for eyes. Soon, Clayman slapped Strike Ninja back to Duke's side of the Field, his arms crossed over his body.

ELEMENTAL HERO CLAYMAN  
Earth/Warrior/4/800 ATK/2000 DEF

"Damn. Now I lose 300 Life Points thanks to my attacking Clayman and its' DEF being 2000 while my Strike Ninja's is 1700..." Duke said, his Life Points now at 3700 points. "I guess a lucky break is due to a guy who hasn't Dueled much out of the group. I'll end my turn with that."

"My turn. Draw!" Tristan drew his next card and said "Next move of mine, I'm gonna play Pot of Greed and see what I get!"

Tristan's play of Pot of Greed produced the same green pot on the card art for it with its' devilish grin as two hands came out, holding cards. Tristan then swiftly drew two cards from his hand as he looked at all other cards. He had noticed he had Polymerization and Elemental Hero Sparkman in his hand. He could use it, Fusion Summon one of his other Elemental Hero Fusions. But to do so might be a bad idea, even if he got rid of Strike Ninja.

ELEMENTAL HERO SPARKMAN  
Light/Warrior/4/1600 ATK/1400 DEF

'Do I do it or not...?'

Sakyo rubbied his chin as Yugi looked at him. "Are you OK?"  
"Yes, I am, Yugi. I wonder if Tristan is contemplating whether or not he should do what he wants to do. You see, Elemental Heroes alone, save for a few, are not strong in terms of ATK at times... but when united as one, they become godly at times. Tristan must be wondering if he should use Polymerization now... yet I am sure he will do it if his heart tells him to." Sakyo replied.

Yugi turned back as everyone else was intentive. Tristan then exhaled, nodding as he said "I will play the Magic Card, Polymerization! With this, I'll send 2 Fusion Material Monsters to the Graveyard! Clayman from my Field... and..." Tristan then took Elemental Hero Sparkman's card and showed it to Duke. "And also Elemental Hero Sparkman from my hand and fuse them together!"

With the appearance of Sparkman, a warrior with blue armor, save for some yellow chest armor, wrist and ankle armor, as well as golden marks, and a blue and gold mask, and blue blades protruding from his back as he and Clayman looked at one another, leaping up as they swirled together. Soon, appearing from a crash of thunder, a large warrior took Clayman and Sparkman's place, with gold armor, white fingers, spikes from his shoulder armor and back, as well as yellow showing from hsi shoulders, a blue orb on his chest, as well as a blue visor over his face, and white antenna from his mask, and purple showing on his arms and legs, his arms crossed.

"Now come on out, Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!!" Thunder Giant slammed his hands against one another, as sparks shot from around him as he cried out.

ELEMENTAL HERO THUNDER GIANT  
Light/Warrior-Fusion/6/2400 ATK/1500 DEF  
"Elemental Hero Sparkman" + "Elemental Hero Clayman"  
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. Discard 1 card from your hand to select and destroy 1 face-up Monster on the Field with an original ATK that is less than the ATK of this card. You can only use this effect once per turn, during your Main Phase.

"What the-!? Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!? You mean your Deck has Elemental Heroes in it?" Duke blinked.  
"Yep. And you know what they say. Two are better than one. Now, I'll use Thunder Giant's effect! See, Duke, once per turn, while he's in play, I can destroy 1 Monster on my opponent's side of the Field that has a weaker original ATK than Thunder Giant has! And your Strike Ninja fits the bill with his 1700 ATK!"

Thunder Giant soon zoomed in front of Strike Ninja, raising his hand up, as a blast of thunder wrapped around Strike Ninja, destroying him, leaving Duke open as Duke thought 'Uh-oh!'

"Thunder Giant! Direct Attack! Voltic Thunder!!"

Thunder Giant soon charged at Duke, raising his hands up, and then slashing down, thunder blasting Duke as he cried out, his LP dropped to 1300 points as he panted. Tristan wiped his brow then said "And now, I end my turn."

"My turn..." Duke drew his next card, then said "Now I play Change of Heart, gaining control of your Thunder Giant!"

Thunder Giant soon cried out, appearing on Duke's side of the Field as Duke said "I won't attack. Oh, no. I got something else in mind. I now play Summon Dice!"

With Duke's play, his LP dropped to 300 points, as a six-sided dice appeared as Duke smiled.

SUMMON DICE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points. Roll 1 six-sided dice. If the result is 1 or 2, you can perform 2 Normal Summons this turn. If the result is 3 or 4, you can Special Summon 1 Monster from your Graveyard. If the result is 5 or 6, you can Normal Summon 1 Monster from your hand regardless of Level, without Sacrifice.

The six-sided dice soon began to bounce, rolling as Duke looked on intently, soon landing on 2! Duke smiled and said "Now I get to make 2 Normal Summons this turn! So first up! I Normal Summon Dark Assassin in Attack Mode!"

A creature with olive green and dark green armor, a cutlass along its' back, some daggers in its' hands, as well as brown boots and a skull face appeared onto the Field, cackling as he smirked.

DARK ASSASSIN (English Name: Dark Assailant)  
Dark/Zombie/4/1200 ATK/1200 DEF

"And next! I will Sacrifice Thunder Giant and Dark Assassin for my second Normal Summon!" Thunder Giant disappeared in a flash, as did Dark Assassin as Duke smiled and said "Now... I play Orgoth the Relentless in Attack Mode!" Slapping his Duel Monsters card onto his Duel Disk, as with his summon, appeared a large muscular kind of giant with a huge sword!

The giant's armor was made of purple, with some blue showing along the arms and legs, as well as lower chest. He also had an area of black blocking his face's features, with just yellow eyes showing, as well as haivng horns, a purple helmet, yellow horns, and along his shoulder armor, as well his gloves as he slashed the air.

ORGOTH THE RELENTLESS  
Earth/Warrior/7/2500 ATK/2450 DEF  
Effect: If "Dice Dungeon" is on the Field, you can use the effect of "Dimension Dice" to Special Summon this card to your side of the Field.

"Orgoth! Attack his Life Points directly!" Orgoth then charged forward at Tristan as he looked at his set card and said 'No good! Hero Signal won't help this time! I gotta wait a bit to use it!'

HERO SIGNAL  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: This card's effect is activated when a Monster on your side of the Field is sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster with "Elemental Hero" in its' card name from your Deck to the Field.

Orgoth then slashed his sword against Tristan's chest as he cried out, his LP dropping to 1500 points as he wobbled some, groaning a bit. Duke smiled as the others looked on.

"Whoa! Duke just laid some serious damage to Tristan's LP!" Joey spoke up.  
"If Tristan can't summon another Monster, he's in trouble!" Téa added as Melody and Taro looked on, Yugi and Sakyo also doing the same as Duke then took a card from his hand and showed it. "Next up, I activate Life Dice! When this Magic Card is activated, I can roll a six-sided dice! Depending on what I land on, I increase my Life Points by that much x 400 points then divided by 2."

LIFE DICE  
Normal Magic Card  
Effect: Roll 1 six-sided dice. Increase your Life Points by an amount equal to the result times 400 divided by 2.

A red dice appeared on the Field, bouncing as it then landed down on 6 as Duke smiled. "400 x 6 2400 points, then divided that by 2, and I get 1200 LP! That means my LP is up to 1500 points now. So now, I end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Tristan drew his next card and saw he had Cyber Commander, one of his favorite cards. He nodded as he said "I play Cyber Commander in Defense Mode!"

When Cyber Commander was summoned, he appeared in black boots, blue commando pants, a stell missile launcher on his shoulder, as well as a steel shoulder pad and wrist bands, a machine gun in his hand, as well as brown skin and black hair as he kneeled over his horizontal Duel Monsters card.

CYBER COMMANDER  
Dark/Machine/2/750 ATK/700 DEF

"Turn end."

"You're biding your time, aren't you, Tristan...? My turn!" Drawing his next card, Duke soon extended his index finger forward and said "Orgoth! Attack Cyber Commander!" Orgoth soon charged, slashing Tristan's Cyber Commander in half, as circuitry appeared from the now slashed in half Commander before he exploded. Duke smiled confidently as Tristan said "I was waiting for you to do that."

"What? What do you mean?"  
Tristan looked up and said "Remember my set card? It needed a condition for me to activate it, and it just got it. I now play Hero Signal!"

In a flash, a light shined out from Tristan's Trap Card, showing a spotlight, with a large H in it. Duke blinked and said "What the-!?"  
"This Trap Card, Hero Signal, lets me Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Elemental Hero from my Deck when one Monster of mine is sent from the Field to the Graveyard as a result of Battle. And now..." Tristan pulled his Deck out, shifting through it as he also remembered he has another two copies of Polymerization to get out... but he just hoped he'd get it. He then took his card of choice and said "And I Special Summon Elemental Hero - Burst Lady!"

With Tristan's Special Summon, Burst Lady appeared. She was beautiful, having long black hair, with the lower half being white, as well as having red marks under her eyes, and for her lips. She also had red gloves and pants on, with the left side of her body showing from her hip up, with red marks covering her breasts, with a circle of pale skin showing as she smiled, a golden hat with a green orb in the center as fire surrounded her hands.

"So? You just summoned a cute Monster whose ATK is 1200. It won't help too much. I'll end my turn now."

Tristan exhaled, remembering his tactic as he said "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card, looking at his next card, getting Reinforcement of the Army. He also noticed King of the Swamp as he nodded. "First up, I'll discard King of the Swamp from my hand to the Graveyard! This lets me add 1 copy of Polymerization from my hand to my Deck!"

Tristan pulled his Deck out, then pulled out Polymerization, adding it to his hand as he shuffled his Deck, placing it back into his Duel Disk as he then showed Reinforcement of the Army to Duke. "And to add to it, I play Reinforcement of the Army, which lets me add 1 Warrior-Type Monster from my Deck to my hand!"

Tristan pulled his Deck out, then grabbed Elemental Hero Featherman and shuffled his Deck, placing it into his Duel Disk again as he smiled and said "Next, I will play Polymerization, fusing Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burst Lady!" In a flash, Featherman appeared, as he and Burst Lady shot into the air, fire and wind surrounding them as Tristan then pulled out Elemental Hero Flame Wingman's card and showed it to Duke. "And I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero - Flame Wingman in Attack Mode!"

Slapping his card down, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman soon appeared on the Field, cracking his dragon-like arm. Duke blinked and said "A Fusion... with 2100 ATK? Not gonna help much when Orgoth is stronger at 2500 ATK."  
Sakyo chuckled, and smiled. "He really is underestimating the true power of Flame Wingman."

"Uhm... what does Flame Wingman do exactly?" Joey asked.

Taro nodded and asked also "I mean, a Level 8 Fusion with 2100 ATK isn't much if you ask me."

"His effect. If Tristan has the right card, he can win this Duel in just one blow... I do wonder if he does have the card he needs to win... and as for the effect... you shall see for yourself if I am right."

Tristan looked at his hand, then took his card of choice and said "I now play the Field Magic Card, Skyscraper!" With his Field Magic Card slot opened,  
Tristan slapped his card in, as Duke blinked. "Skyscraper...?"

Sakyo smiled and said "It has begun."

"What has?" Yugi asked. Sakyo looked at Yugi and smiled. "The end of the Duel perhaps."

Soon, in a flash, thousands of skyscrapers shot around the Field, as everyone looked about as soon, Elemental Hero Flame Wingman stood atop the tallest, his arms crossed as Duke looked up, blinking. "What the heck is Flame Wingman doing?"

"Don't you know that a superhero is best with a dramatic setting like a skyscraper? Haven't you ever read Batman or any other American comic book heroes!? This is what Skyscraper does! Whenever an Elemental Hero on my side of the Field battles against a Monster with an ATK higher than its' own, its' ATK goes up by 1000 points. And since Flame Wingman's at 2100 ATK, his ATK is now 3100!"

SKYSCRAPER  
Field Magic Card  
Effect: Whenever a Monster Card on your side of the Field with "Elemental Hero" in its' card name battles a Monster with a higher ATK than its' ATK, increase its' ATK by 1000 points during the Damage Step.

Flame Wingman's eyes closed, then shot open, his ATK raised to 3100 as he stood in front of the moon that appeared thanks to Skyscraper, leaping off into the air as he shot straight down at Orgoth the Relentless as Tristan said "Flame Wingman! Attack Orgoth! SKYSCRAPER SHOOT!!!"

Flame Wingman soon exploded with fire, diving right at Orgoth as he slammed hard into Orgoth, causing Duke's Monster to cry out, exploding as Duke's LP dropped by 600 points to 900 as Duke smiled. "So? My Life Points are still safe."

"Not really. Whenever Flame Wingman destroys a Monster as a result of Battle, he inflicts damage to my opponent's Life Points equal to the ATK of the destroyed Monster. Since Orgoth was at 2500 ATK when I used Skyscraper, that means Flame Wingman's gonna inflict that same amount of damage to your Life Points, since he destroyed Orgoth via battle. Flame Wingman?"

Flame Wingman shot in front of Duke, raising his dragon-like arm, blasting Duke as Duke cried out, his LP dropped to 0 due to 2500 - 900 -1600 LP, as Duke panted, exhaling as he smiled. "Wow... how did you get so good...?"  
"Practice." Tristan smiled as he continued. "Nice Duel!"

Duke chuckled and said "Yeah... man... I really shouldn't have underestimated you... I can't believe you had done so much training just so you can Duel better! Why the sudden change?"  
Tristan smiled. "It was time for one. So, think I did well enough, Master?"  
Smiling in approval, Sakyo then nodded. "Yes. Very well."

Tristan walked over to Duke, taking his hand and shaking it, as Duke did so also, chuckling as both then gave each other's hands a squeeze, showing a sign that their rivalry was not over by a long shot. Tristan and Duke then let go of each other's hands, as Tristan grinned. "Looks like it's me with the advantage now, Duke, so you better watch out!"

"Heh. We'll see, 'cause I am not gonna lose to someone like you, Tristan!" Duke replied, arms crossed, as everyone blinked and Joey said "OK, are you two done?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're done." Tristan replied, grinning as he walked forward and said "Ya know, Joey, maybe outta some kind of fluke I could beat you with my new Deck."

Joey blinked and smirked, doing his famed muscle man face, his index finger pointed right into Tristan's nose as he said "Fat chance! You forget, man, I was 2nd in Duelist Kingdom, 4th in Battle City, AND I was a chosen Duelist durin' the Doma incident since I did after all get Helmos!"

"Yeah, well, I still say I could!" Tristan said, slapping Joey's finger away as the two friends soon began arguing as Sakyo chuckled, looking at the duo as he smiled. "It seems my apprentice has picked up a good batch of camaradarie from you all. I am impressed to see further progress. But for now, I must be going."

Tristan heard this and walked up to Sakyo, bowing. "Thank you again, Master."  
"No problem, Tristan. Please stop by again sometime when you are not busy. I do not want to have to miss one of my best employees, even if I hadn't been paying you! Maybe next time, I will consider giving you a paycheck and making you an official employee."

"Seriously?! Really!?" Tristan grinned, as he grabbed Sakyo's right hand, rapidly shaking it. "Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!"

"Well... didn't see that coming..." Taro replied, blinking, as Melody nodded. "It seems things around here are never dull from what I have seen."

"Yep! And I wouldn't have it any other way!" Taro smiled, his hands behind his head. Yugi nodded as he said "You got that right, Taro. Having some excitement is good. So, Tristan, you want me and Grandpa to hook you up with your own Duel Disk or are you still gonna use this one that was given to you?"

Tristan turned to Sakyo and said "Mind if I keep the Duel Disk?"  
Sakyo nodded. "Go ahead."

Tristan just soon whooped with joy, feeling excited at finally getting to feel more and more at ease at transitition to being a stronger Duelist. However, a guy with long unruly dark brown hair, wearing the typical black jeans and duster of the Card Hunters, as well as being barefoot and without a shirt, he smirked and said "OK, time for ME to move into action soon. But first... a little invitation to my plan... and i know just the thing!" And soon, the man from the roof ran as fast as he could... seeming to hoot like a monkey as he did so.

-To Be Continued...-


	14. Chapter 14

Episode 14 - Assault at the Zoo! The Wild Nature Deck!

Sitting on a train, Yugi, in a black shirt with a light blue jacket and grey jeans with his regular shoes, Joey with a black tank top and blue jeans, hands in his pockets, TИa with a red t-shirt that had black sleeves, a black skirt, and strapped shoes, Tristan with a blue jean jacket and matching jeans with a black t-shirt, Taro with a red hoodie, blue jeans, and some grey and black sneakers, and finally, Melody with a long light blue pleated skirt and white blouse looked about as Yugi leaned back and asked "Hey, Tristan, what's so big about the zoo? I mean, I can see how it can be a nice change of pace, but... still, I'm lost."

"My sister, Hallie, is working there and she wanted me to stop on by to check out on the work she's done, Yugi. That's all." Tristan replied, leaning back, his arms behind his head as he smiled. Taro blinked as he sat cross-legged on the seat as he said "How old is your sister, man"  
"'bout 24 or so. I would have ridden my motorcycle, but it's way too far to ride to Osaka from Domino City. So I am glad we could afford this train!"

Melody smiled sweetly, giving the peace sign as she spoke up. "Thank my parents, Tristan. They have quite a bit of money, and it helps to have connections to be able to get around"  
Taro grinned as he wrapped his arms around Melody and grinned. "Ain't Melody the best, guys!" Melody blushed at this as Yugi smiled. "Well, we got some time to kill. Anyone bring their Decks since we got a table to also be able to Duel with?" Yugi asked, holding his Deck out.

Tristan pulled his out also as did Taro as Joey shrugged as did TИa and Melody as Tristan grinned and said "Taro! You, me, now"  
"You're on, T!" Both of them laughed, sliding to a table to get ready to Duel."

At the Osaka Zoo, however, someone was watching, standing on a tree branch as he grinned and said "OK, the other Card Hunters say I am nuts... so what!? Time for 'Wild' Louis to show what he's really made out of! And what better field for battle for a Beast Deck Master than a zoo!" Running his hands through his dark brown hair, Louis hollered, pounding his chest with his closed hands as he leapt off.

After arriving at the Osaka Zoo, Tristan looked about, trying to remember where it was Hallie told them to meet her. He soon looked about rapidly, Yugi, Joey, Taro, TИa, and Melody blinking in surprise. Soon, Tristan heard someone say his name and he saw a young woman with the same color of hair as himself, but hers was longer, with a curving lock of it on top as she smiled, having a white labcoat, a blue blouse, black jeans and dress shoes as well as a baby carrier with a small baby with some small bits of brown hair showing.

"Hey, little bro! Sorry it took me so long. Cedric and I just realized you had to have shown up. And getting caught up in my work... that made things even TOUGHER for me"  
Tristan smiled and patted his sister's shoulders. "I am glad to see you too, Hallie"  
Cedric popped his head up, yawning as he said "Jeez, can'tcha keep it down, Tristan?! I'm tryin' to sleep here!!"

Taro's eyes shrunk as did Melody's, Yugi's, TИa's, and Joey's as Joey gulped, then said "Is it my imagination or did that friggin' baby just talk"  
"Uh, Joey, you aren't imagining, 'cause I heard it too!" Taro replied. "Hey, Hallie... how old is Cedric"  
"He's about 1 year old. Surprised me and his father how fast he learned how to talk"  
Cedric yawned, then looked at TИa and smiled. "Oooohhh!! Me likey"  
TИa blinked at this sight, seeing Cedric staring at her as she cried out, appearing behind Yugi as she whispered. "Yuuuuuugi... that kid is giving me the heebee jeebees!! It's like he's undressing me with his eyes, I just know it... and he's just a baby! I didn't even know that a one year old could be a pervert"  
Yugi whispered back. "Beats me how that works out either... it IS kinda creepy..."

"So, what was it you wanted to show us, Hallie?" Tristan replied, his hands in his pockets. Hallie smiled and winked playfully. "Follow me and you can see."

All of the group followed right behind Hallie, Cedric still looking back at TИa, winking at her as he smiled, his cheeks red. TИa blushed at this, then cried out, as Melody sighed and said "Hallie... what exactly is the zoo working on?"

"Oh, all sorts of things, Melody. You see, we've been also making some nice new economical and clean cages for the animals here, some of the nicest ones in Japan so far. I myself am also working on animal behaviors, and also adjusting the cages so that the animals themselves are happy. Some people actually say animals have no feelings or emotions their own, but they speak VOLUMES whenever they wish to communicate."

"It sure sounds like a wild idea to me." Joey replied, hands in his pockets too, as he stopped at an exhibit for primates, blinking when one of the gorillas came up slowly, grunting a bit. He then sweatdropped at this and rushed right behind the others. In the gorilla exhibit, Louis stepped out, smiling as he petted a gorilla on the head, and whispered "Time to mobilize."

Soon, the group were all looking at the different cages Hallie had worked on, Yugi standing with TИa as the two looked at the elephants, especially a mother and her child, while Taro stood up on the guard rail, grinning at a couple of penguins whom waddled around, Melody giggling while Joey smiled as he looked at the tigers exhibit, Tristan standing with Hallie as he said "It sure seems like you have worked hard on this, Hallie. How long has it taken you to do all of this?"

"I'd say it's felt like years, but it's been months, Tristan. 10 of the hardest months of my life next to childbirth.." Hallie stopped to let out a soft sigh as she smiled. "But I think knowing the animals are happy is what matters the most. You know how much I've loved animals, Tristan, and I've taken that love to a whole new level by doing this"  
Tristan smiled a bit, nodding, about to speak until he heard screams, blinking when he saw some of the visitors running as fast as they could, being chaged by several animals.

Tristan looked in surprise and said "Holy crap! It's a stampede!" Hallie gasped as Cedric popped his head out and said "Ohhh, Jeeeeesus! This is wild, Mom! Shouldn't we be running"  
"Good point, honey." Hallie began to run as fast as she could, Tristan right behind, as Yugi, TИa, Joey, Taro, and Melody ran as fast as they could behind them, the animals chasing them, rounding up all of the people... but missing 3 of them.

Those three were Tristan, Hallie, and Cedric. Tristan popped hishead up and whispered. "I think they're gone"  
"Good. I wonder what could have made the animals gone wild like that and put everyone else into cages..." Hallie sighed, as she sat down, holding Cedric in her arms. Tristan sat cross legged and cross armed as he shook his head. "Dunno... it does seem a tad odd though. Then again, Yugi and the rest of us are used to this kind of thing... I just wish we know the who!"

"Attention to everyone whom is in a cage!" Louis's voice rang out over the speakers. "This is Louis Fisher at your service. I bet you all wonder why I put you into cages like the animals. Well... actually, I did so because I am looking for some Duelists. And from what I can see in the cages, I got one of the best... Yugi Mutoh... but I am not in the mood to Duel him. The cameras are everywhere, and I know that there is someone here I can easily beat. And... that someone is a Mr. Tristan Taylor."

Yugi, Joey, TИa, Taro, and Melody all looked up from their seats in the cages as Yugi said "Tristan"  
"So come for me, Mr. Novice. Meet me in the main building... and I'll make sure your friends get to see your defeat easily. That is all."

Tristan clenched his fists and said "Damn. OK, looks like I gotta go. Hallie, you and Cedric gonna be OK"  
"We will be, little brother. Just be careful yourself"  
"Kill him good for me, Tristan!" Cedric replied. Tristan nodded, rushing off as fast as he could.

Yugi, Joey, and Taro got into a huddle position as Yugi whispered "I wonder just who this Louis guy is and why cage up all of us"  
"Saw us as a threat?" Taro replied.  
"I dunno. Something about this doesn't seem right... I mean, the animals are all still loose... and..." Joey was soon stopped when he saw one of the gorillas grunting, rolling a TV set near the cage as Melody said "What in the world?"

"OK, I am now lost." Joey replied, the monitor flickering and Louis's image showing on it as he had a Duel Disk on his arm, another under his free arm as he smirked, waiting in the main building, with many lush plants around, as well as computers and other electrical equipment.

At the main building, Louis looked up the gorilla who set up the camera system and grunted, as if he was speaking to it... as he then smiled when the door opened and Tristan came running in.  
"So, you're the guy who did all this! You said your name is Louis... are you a Card Hunter"  
Louis smiled and said "Bingo! You see, I saw you in action the other day... and when I overheard you were gonna be here at the Osaka Zoo, I couldn't resist an opportunity to show my stuff to my colleagues! I think choosing you as the opponent was fitting... since I bet I can beat a novice like you in a heartbeat."

"Hey, I may be a novice, but don't think you can win so easily!" Tristan gritted his teeth as Louis smiled, then grabbed the Duel Disk he had and tossed it to Tristan.  
"We'll see. Slip it on and let's get this on." Louis smiled, his Duel Disk getting into the ready position. Tristan slid the Duel Disk on, then blinked when he saw all of the animals from the zoo's cages coming out of the shadows, looking at the Duel as Tristan then took his Deck and slapped it into his Duel Disk, getting his Duel Disk ready as he and Louis both said "DUEL!!"

Tristan drew his first 5 cards as did Louis. "I'll go first!" Louis said, drawing his sixth card as he smiled and said "First, I'll set a card face-down, then I play Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode!"

The reddish-brown furred Berserk Gorilla appeared on Louis's side of the Field, pounding its' chest as it roared loudly, all of the animals letting out their various kinds of cries as Louis smiled. "And that is the end of my turn. Trust me, Taylor, this Deck of mine has a perfect setting in a zoo. But I guess you'll see when the time is right."

"My turn! Draw!" Tristan drew his sixth card, examining his hand to see what he could do. He looked at Louis's set card and thought to himself 'Hmm. A Trap Card most likely. I think I got just the card for this!'

"I play Elemental Hero Wildman in Attack Mode!" Tristan's Elemental Hero cried out as he landed on the ground, slamming his fist onto the ground as he then stood up straight. Wildman had black hair, much of it in a ponytail as well as having wrapping around his ankles and wrists, red markings on his arms and chest, tanned skin, a bone necklace of some kind, a sheath against his back with a sword in it, as well as a white loincloth with a red mark of some kind on it as well as some brown trunks of some sort.

ELEMENTAL HERO WILDMAN Earth/Warrior/4/1500 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: This card is unaffected by Trap Cards while face-up on the Field.

"Just so you know, Louis, your Trap Cards ain't gonna work on Wildman. He's unaffected by them"  
"Oh? You assume my card is one to hinder you? No, no, no. Just watch. Trap Card, activate! Beast Soul Swap"  
The face-down card of Louis's showed Great Angus, a red beast with large teeth collapsed on the ground and its' soul lifting up from its' body. Tristan blinked and said "What the hell is that?"

"Beast Soul Swap allows me to return 1 Beast-Type Monster on my side of the Field to its' owner's hand, then the owner of the card gets to Special Summon a Beast-Type Monster whose Level is equal to that of the returned Monster's. Berserk Gorilla! Return!"

Nodding, Berserk Gorilla leapt backwards, disappearing as Louis took his card from his Duel Disk, adding it to his hand as he examined other Monsters he could Special Summon.

BEAST SOUL SWAP Normal Trap Card Effect: Return to the owner's hand 1 face-up Beast-Type Monster on your side of the Field, and the owner of that card Special Summons 1 Beast-Type Monster that has the same Level as the Monster that you returned.

Louis smiled as he took one and said "Now I Special Summon Soul Tiger in Defense Mode"  
In a flash of blue fire, a bluish tiger with flames sparking up and red eyes appeared on Louis's side of the Field, snarling as Louis smiled, arms crossed, his Field no different at all... just with a Defense Mode Monster instead of an Attack Mode Monster.

SOUL TIGER Earth/Beast/4/0 ATK/2100 DEF

"OK. I getcha. Well, even if your Monster's got 600 more DEF than Wildman's ATK, but that doesn't mean I'm out. I'll set 2 cards face-down, and end my turn."

Yugi, Joey, TИa, Taro, and Melody, all watching the Duel from the TV, looked in surprise as Joey said "OK, so this Deck looks like it has a lot of Beasts! Uhm, Yugi, can a Deck like that work"  
"Yeah. Beast Decks have gained a lot of support recently, Joey, and all kinds of good cards work best with the theme itself. I am sure Louis has all sorts of them if he has Beast Soul Swap in his Deck. Tristan will need to think on his feet for this one"  
"C'mon, Tristan, you can do it..." TИa replied.

"My turn. Draw!" Louis drew his next card and smiled as he said "And now, I Normal Summon Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode once more"  
Berserk Gorilla soon reappeared on the Field, pounding his chest as he roared again. Louis smiled and said "Now... I play rhe Quickplay Magic Card, The Big March of Animals!!"

THE BIG MARCH OF ANIMALS Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Until the End Phase, increase the ATK of all face-up Beast-Type Monsters on your side of the Field by 200 points for each Beast-Type Monster on your side of the Field.

"When this Magic Card is activated, for every Beast-Type Monster on my side of the Field, my Beasts' ATK shoots up by 200 points! Since I got 2, that's 400 points of ATK to Berserk Gorilla, raising him to 2400 ATK, and Soul Tiger's gonna go up to 400"  
Tristan gulped as Berserk Gorilla and Soul Tiger began to glow, and to continue his turn, Louis took Soul Tiger's card and said "I now turn Soul Tiger to Attack Mode and get ready to advance! Berserk Gorilla, attack Wildman"  
Berserk Gorilla roared as Louis shouted out "FLAMES OF FURY!!" as Berserk Gorilla shot out a stream of fire from his mouth. Tristan looked at Louis and said "It's not that simple. Trap Card! Hero Barrier!"

HERO BARRIER Normal Trap Card Effect: This card can be activated when you have a face-up Monster Card with "Elemental Hero" in its' card name on your side of the Field when your opponent attacks with a Monster. Negate the attack.

Suddenly, an electrical barrier appeared on the Field, blocking Berserk Gorilla's flames, blowing them to the side as Louis said "What happened"  
"Hero Barrier only works when I have a face-up Monster with Elemental Hero in its' card name, Louis. It negates the attack made by your Monster, thus saving Wildman for a bit"  
"Damn. You're just lucky. Alright. I end my turn."

And with the proclamation of his End Phase, Berserk Gorilla's ATK returned to 2000, and Soul Tiger's to 0. Tristan then said "My turn. Draw!" He drew his next card, getting Cyclone Boomerang. He looked at the other cards in his hand and nodded as he took one and said "I play Elemental Hero Sparkman in Attack Mode"  
Sparkman landed down next to Wildman, kicking the air as he then took a stance.

-Tristan's Field-  
1 Set Card, Wildman in Attack Mode (1500), Sparkman in Attack Mode (1600)

-Louis's Field-  
Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode (2000), Soul Tiger in Attack Mode (0)

"Next, I play the Equip Magic Card, Cyclone Boomerang, equipping it to Wildman!" In a gust of wind, Wildman leapt into the air, grabbing a large boomerang from the cyclone, gripping it, his ATK going up to 2000 points. Tristan then said "Wildman! Go! Attack Soul Tiger!!"

CYCLONE BOOMERANG Equip Magic Card Effect: This card can only be equipped to "Elemental Hero Wildman". Increase the Equipped Monster's ATK by 500 points. When this card and the Equipped Monster are sent to the Graveyard, destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on the Field and inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points for each card destroyed this way.

Wildman began to spin as fast as he could, and then threw his boomerang at Soul Tiger, smashing it right on the head as it cried out, exploding, Louis's Life Points dropped to 6000 in just one hit as Tristan said "Now I end my turn"  
"Oh, you are gonna pay for that. My turn! Draw!" Louis drew his next card and said "I now play the Magic Card, Poison Fangs"  
The image of the Permanent Magic Card showed fangs from some kind of animal, part of them black, as if with poison as Louis smiled at this. "Each time a Beast-Type Monster of mine inflicts Battle Damage to your Life Points, you're gonna lose 500 more Life Points, Taylor. All in all, not good for you. And to keep the fun going, I play Pot of Greed!"

Louis drew 2 cards quickly, his hand size now 4 cards as he took a card and said "I will now set a card face-down, and play the Magic Card, Wild Nature's Release"  
Suddenly, Berserk Gorilla's body began to bulge as he roared loudly, slamming his hands against his chest, steam coming from his nose as his ATK shot up to 3000!!

WILD NATURE'S RELEASE Normal Magic Card Effect: Increase the ATK of 1 face-up Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster on the Field by an amount equal to its' DEF. Destroy the Monster during the End Phase.

"Uh, Yugi, what just happened to Berserk Gorilla...?" Joey asked. "It looks like it just got pumped up"  
Yugi nodded. "Wild Nature's Release is a Magic Card that powers up a Beast-Type or Beast-Warrior-Type Monster's ATK by its' DEF. In other words, Louis just gave Berserk Gorilla 1000+ ATK, Joey."

"That sounds bad, Yugi..." Melody replied.  
"It is, but Louis is going to lose Berserk Gorilla at the end of the turn"  
Taro snapped his fingers. "I get it! It's like Limiter Removal for Beasts, but the effect is only for one Monster rather than all like with Limiter Removal! Crazy... so Beast-Type Decks got as much power goin' for 'em as Machine Decks do, Yugi!? OK... I am scared now!"

"It is crazy, Taro, but it seems Louis knows the risks, like you do with your Deck." Yugi replied.  
TИa exhaled and said "Think Tristan can handle it, Yugi"  
"Yeah. He'll do his best. That's all that counts."

Back at the main building, unbeknownest to Louis or his animal cohorts, Hallie had gotten inside with Cedric, looking about for something. She knew there was a master keycard she could use in order to get the people out, but finding it was the tricky part. At that time, she hesistated and tuned to the Duel as Louis slammed his hands against his bare chest like a gorilla and grunted!

"BERSERK GORILLA, ATTACK SPARKMAN"  
Berserk Gorilla charged and punched Sparkman hard, destroying him, AND dropping Tristan's LP by 1400 points to 6600 points. Louis smiled and said "Oh. And now Poison Fangs' effect kicks into play"  
Poison Fangs began to glow, as the fangs shot forward, biting onto Tristan's shoulder, his LP dropped again to 6100 as Louis smiled and took another card from his hand. "Now I'll just end my turn, and now..."

Berserk Gorilla then exploded as Tristan said "You think you can wear me down? Well, not gonna happen! You're goin' down for what you did to my sister and my friends and the other people here, Louis! My turn! Draw!" "Trap Card, activate! Threatening Roar"  
Suddenly, a loud roar blasted Tristan as he cleaned out his ears, blinking in surprise at this.

THREATENING ROAR Normal Trap Card Effect: Your opponent cannot declare an attack during this turn.

Tristan drew his next card and smiled as he said "I now Sacrifice Elemental Hero - Wildman to Summon Airknight Parshath in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Wildman was gone, Cyclone Boomerang exploded as in his place was an angelic man with blonde hair, feathers along his chest, stomach, and horse-like lower half. Also showing was blue and gold armor, a kind of halo along his helmet, a sword in his left hand, a shield in the right as he slashed the air.

AIRKNIGHT PARSHATH Light/Angel/5/1900 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: When this Monster attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of a Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage on your opponent's Life Points. Whenever this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, draw 1 card.

"And since Wildman and Cyclone Boomerang went to the Graveyard, all Magic and Trap Cards on the Field are destroyed, and you lose 500 LP x the number of Magic and Trap Cards destroyed." Suddenly, Tristan's set card exploded as did Poison Fangs, Louis hit by shards from both of them, his LP dropped by 1000 points to 5000.

"So? You can't attack"  
"Whaddya mean I can't attack"  
"My Trap Card, remember? Threatening Roar prevents you from declaring an attack this turn. That's why I activated it before you had a chance to use Cyclone Boomerang's effect. You made a smart move, but... I made an even smarter one."

Tristan grunted a bit and said "I end my turn"  
"My turn. Draw." Louis drew his next card, now having 3 cards as he said "Next, I will set a card face-down, then I play Mirage of Nightmare. With this Permanent Magic Card in play, I can draw cards during your Standby Phase. Up to 4, but if I don't get rid of it, I gotta discard them. It's a small price to pay... but I won't discard my hand to it.■

MIRAGE OF NIGHTMARE Permanent Magic Card Effect: During your opponent's Standby Phase, draw cards until your hand has 4 cards. During your Standby Phase, randomly discard the same number of cards you drew with this card's effect to the Graveyard.

⌠And lastly, my last card in my hand. I place one Monster face-down. Turn end.■ ⌠My turn. Draw!■ Tristan said, now having 4 cards in hand as Louis said ⌠And now, since it▓s your Standby Phase, you▓ve activated Mirage of Nightmare▓s effect.■ Louis quickly drew 4 cards, as he then said ⌠To follow up, I play Emergency Provisions, sending Mirage of Nightmare to the Graveyard! And plus, I gain 1000 Life Points, putting me at 6000 once more!■ Louis snarled like a lion as the animals all watching the Duel looked down at him in awe, all of them letting out their cries as Louis smiled. ⌠You▓re still up.■

⌠Fine. Airknight, attack his face-down Monster!■ Airknight Parshath galloped across the Field, raising his sword as he slashed Louis▓s set Monster, Des Koala, into ribbons, blowing it away. ⌠Now due to Des Koala▓s DEF of 1800 compared to Airknight Parshath▓s ATK of 1900, Louis, you lose 100 LP! Plus I get to draw a card.■

Louis▓s LP - 5900

Tristan then drew a card as Louis smiled. ⌠But you don▓t know Des Koala▓s Flip Effect.■ Soon, Des Koala, a reddish-brown furred koala with euculyptus leaves in its▓ mouth as well as in a pouch on its▓ stomach appeared, then shot 5 of the leaves right at Tristan, who cried out, his LP dropping by 2000 points to 4600 as Louis said ⌠When Des Koala▓s flipped up, it inflicts 400 points of damage to your Life Points for every card in your hand. You have 5 thanks to Parshath▓s effect, so that▓s 2000 Life Points you▓ve lost.■

DES KOALA Dark/Beast/3/1100 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: Flip: Inflict 400 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points for each card in your opponent's hand.

⌠Alright. I▓ll set one card of my own face-down. And end my turn.■ Tristan replied.  
Louis smiled and screeched like a chimpanzee as he drew his next card, twirling it around as he said ⌠I now play Monster Reborn! And I Special Summon Berserk Gorilla back to the Field!■

Berserk Gorilla appeared one more on the Field as Louis then took another card from his hand and said ⌠Next, I play Tribute Doll, sacrificing Berserk Gorilla to Special Summon Big Koala in Attack Mode!!■ In a flash, in place of Berserk Gorilla, a blue and white furred large koala appeared onto the Field, snorting a bit as Tristan looked up and said ⌠Ho.. lee.. CRAP!! That thing is huge!■

BIG KOALA Earth/Beast/7/2700 ATK/2000 DEF

⌠One of my better Beasts, that▓s for sure. Thanks to Tribute Doll, I can▓t attack with Big Koala, but I will set a card face-down... and play Rescue Cat in Defense Mode.■ This time, Louis had a smaller summon when he Normal Summoned Rescue Cat, just having 2 cards left in hand. Rescue Cat had a hard hat on, with white, grey, and dark grey fur, a cut little pink nose as well as some claws, blue eyes, and a whistle around its▓ neck as it mewed sweetly.

RESCUE CAT Earth/Beast/4/300 ATK/100 DEF Effect: Send this face-up card on your side of the Field to the Graveyard to Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower Beast-Type Monsters from your Deck to the Field. The Monsters Special Summoned in this way are destroyed during the End Phase.

⌠Turn end.■ ⌠My turn. Draw.■ Tristan drew his next card, twirling it, his hand size 5 cards now, as he nodded, and said ⌠Now I activate Good Goblin Housekeeping!■

GOOD GOBLIN HOUSEKEEPING Normal Trap Card Effect: Draw cards equal to the number of "Good Goblin Housekeeping" cards in your Graveyard + 1. Then choose 1 card in your hand and return it to the bottom of your Deck.

⌠You remember when I lost a card to Cyclone Boomerang▓s effect, Louis? Well, I had one copy of Good Goblin Housekeeping on the Field, so now, thanks to Good Goblin Housekeeping's effect, I get to draw 2 cards." Tristan drew two cards, his hand size at 7 as he then took another card from his hand, saying "Next, I'll return a card from my hand to the bottom of my Deck. And that's that. But not the end of my turn! I now play Fusion Sage from my hand! You remember the card I sent to the bottom of my Deck? Guess what? It was one of my copies of Polymerization, so I am gonna add it back to my hand!"

Tristan quickly grabbed his copy of Polymerization, then shuffled his Deck rapidly, slapping it into his Duel Disk as he showed it to Louis. "And I'll activate Polymerization, sending Featherman and Burst Lady from my hand to the Graveyard!" Tristan's hand size was now down to 3 cards, as he took Flame Wingman from his Fusion Deck and showed it to Louis. "Now I play Elemental Hero Flame Wingman in Attack Mode!"

Flame Wingman erupted onto the Field, slashing the air as he crossed his arms in front of Tristan, as Tristan examined the other cards in his hand, and nodded as he said "Next, I place one Monster face-down and finish up with the Quickplay Magic Card, Raremetal Soul! This little number raises the ATK of a Fusion Monster by 1000 points, so now Flame Wingman's at 3100 ATK! Flame Wingman! Attack Big Koala!"

At the call of Tristan's attack, Flame Wingman exploded, charging forward as he smashed hard into Big Koala, destroying it, and dropping Louis's Life Points to 5500. Flame Wingman then shot in front of Louis, his dragon-like head raised up as its' mouth began to glow red-hot with flames, then blasted Louis, his LP dropped by 2700 due to Flame Wingman's effect to 2800. Louis smiled and said "Do you take me for a fool? Do you expect me to lose so easily?"

"Yeah. I end my turn." Tristan replied, wiping his brow of sweat. Louis drew his next card and showed it to Tristan as he smiled. "Now, I play Nightmare's Steelcage! Get ready to feel like an animal in a cage, like my brothers have been"  
Suddenly, Tristan and Flame Wingman looked about as a large cage clasped around them, as Louis smiled, chuckling softly.

NIGHTMARE'S STEELCAGE Normal Magic Card Effect: During 2 of your opponent's turns, all Monsters on the Field cannot attack. Following the second turn, this card is destroyed.

"Now, I will set the last 2 cards in my hand face-down and end my turn"  
Tristan looked on and said "My turn. Draw." He drew his next card as Louis smiled and said "Set Card. Activate! De-Fusion!" Suddenly, Flame Wingman exploded, and Burst Lady and Featherman returned to the Field. Tristan gulped as he thought "Oh... crap."

DE-FUSION Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Return 1 Fusion Monster Card on the Field to the Fusion Deck. If all the Fusion-Material Monsters for the returned Fusion Monster Card are in the Graveyard, they can be Special Summoned to the Field at this time.

"That's right. Now your Flame Wingman is gone, both Featherman and Burst Lady Special Summoned to the Field again. Even if neither of us can attack yet, I am sure you amy want to turn them to Defense Mode... but trust me, I won't make this any bit easier for you, novice." Louis replied, arms crossed over his chest.

"Fair enough... but I am just gonna end my turn..." Tristan replied, exhaling. Louis nodded. "My turn." He drew his next card, gaining his favorite Monster Card, Behemoth the King of All Animals. Behemoth was strong, but he had no Monsters on the Field yet. Louis smiled and said "I now will activate Rescue Cat's effect, sending it to the Graveyard"  
In a flash, Rescue Cat was gone, as Tristan blinked, then a red beast with long blade-like arms and two heads, one on top, the other at the bottom, appeared, as well as a white tiger.

"That is Rescue Cat's effect. For when it is sent to the Graveyard via its' effect, I can Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower Beast-Type Monsters to my side of the Field from my Deck. Synchar and All-Seeing White Tiger are both of that class... both being Level 3, so that means they are legal for me to Special Summon."

SYNCHAR Earth/Beast/3/800 ATK/900 DEF

THE ALL-SEEING WHITE TIGER Wind/Beast/3/1300 ATK/500 DEF

"But they are not enough. Not yet. I now sacrifice both Synchar and All-Seeing White Tiger!" With his sacrifices made, Louis held up his card of choice and said "Now I play Behemoth the King of All Animals in Attack Mode"  
In a flash, a large purple beast appeared, bluish-purple fur along its' four paws, as well as along its' back, with a long tail, horns sticking out behind its' ears AND part of its' flesh moved from its' mouth as it roared, snarling. Tristan looked in shock as did everyone else observing the Duel on the TV Louis had the animals set up. Also... the animals themselves began to cheer it seemed for the arrival of Behemoth, the most fearsome animal in the Duel Monsters world.

BEHEMOTH THE KING OF ALL ANIMALS Earth/Beast/7/2700 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: This card can be Normal Summoned or Set with 1 Sacrifice Monster. In that case, the original ATK of this card becomes 2000. When this card is Sacrifice Summoned successfully, you can return from your Graveyard to the owner's hand a number of Beast-Type Monsters equal to the number of Sacrifice Monsters.

"Thanks to Behemoth's second effect, since I Sacrifice Summoned him successfully, novice, I get to return 2 Beast-Type Monsters in my Graveyard to my hand since I sacrificed 2 Monsters to summon my Beast King." Louis watched as two Beast Monster Cards came from his Graveyard slot, as he showed them to Tristan. "Berserk Gorilla and Big Koala will be those two Monsters. And it is also the second turn for Nightmare's Steelcage. Once this turn ends, the effect wears off... and you're going to be in for a world of hurt. Turn end!!"

"My turn." Tristan exhaled, drawing his next card, as Nightmare's Steelcage began to dissipate. He exhaled as he said "I will now turn Featherman and Burst Lady to Defense Mode... ending my turn..."

"My turn." Louis drew his card, remembering what his Beast-Types in the Graveyard were now; Rescue Cat, Des Koala, Synchar, The All-Seeing White Tiger, and Soul Tiger. His Trap Card was ready. He smiled and said "Trap Card, activate! Burst of Nature! This Trap Card lets me draw cards from my Deck equal to Beast-Type Monsters in my Graveyard, as long as I remove them from play afterwards! I have 5 Beast-Type Monsters in my Graveyard, so I get to draw 5 cards!" Louis drew five cards, then his five Beast-Type Monsters slid out of his Graveyard, amongst the "Removed From Play" pile in front of the Graveyard as Louis then took a card from his hand, twirled it around and said "Now I play Call of the King of All Animals!"

CALL OF THE KING OF ALL ANIMALS Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when there is a face-up "Behemoth the King of all Animals" on the Field. Pay 800 Life Points. Special Summon 1 Beast-Type Monster from your Graveyard or your hand to the Field.

Louis's Life Points dropped to 2000 points as he then said "With the effect of this card, when I have Behemoth on the Field, I can pay 800 LP and Special Summon a Beast-Type Monster from my Graveyard or hand to the Field. So I Special Summon Big Koala in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Big Koala returned to the Field, scratching its' head as it stood next to Behemoth. "Now I play a second copy!" Now, Louis's LP was 1200 as he took Berserk Gorilla from his hand and Special Summoned him to the Field. Louis smiled and then took another card from his hand. "I now Normal Summon Great Angus in Attack Mode!" With the last summon Louis made, he summoned a great beast with great fury on its' face, with its' tusks showing as it stomped its' paw down as it roared.

GREAT ANGUS Fire/Beast/4/1800 ATK/800 DEF

"Berserk Gorilla, attack Burst Lady!" Berserk Gorilla pulled its' head back, then shot a blast of fire at Burst Lady, destroying her, as Louis continued his turn. "Great Angus! Attack Featherman"  
Great Angus stampeded forward, then pounced hard onto Featherman, destroying him. Louis then said "Big Koala! The last Monster is yours!"

Big Koala rushed forward, using its' front paws for extra speed, as it leapt up and body splashed Tristan's face-down Monster, which turned out to be Command Angel, a military-esque angel, her arms crossed over her body as well as her white wings, haivng black combat gloves with metal on the end, as well as an elbowpad on her left arm, and a band on her upper right arm, a yellow top, a green beret, as well as the same kind of pants and black boots. All she could do however is cry out when Big Koala destroyed her, leaving Tristan's Life Points open for a Direct Attack!

COMMAND ANGEL Fire/Angel/4/1200 ATK/1900 DEF Effect: Increase the ATK of all Angel-Type Monsters on your side of the Field by 400 points.

"Now, Behemoth! Direct Attack!" Behemoth roared, leaping up into the air and coming right down at Tristan, who got a massive swipe from Behemoth's large claw, hitting him hard as he cried out, bouncing backwards for a bit til he landed on his side, his Life Points now at 1900 points. "I now end my turn. Now you can see the fury of the jungle is on my side, Taylor. I can't lose."

Tristan got up slowly, panting a bit as he said "Alright... you wanna see my kind of jungle?... You got it...!! My turn. Draw!!" Drawing his next card, Tristan looked in surprise, as he thought 'Elemental Hero.Bubbleman...'

ELEMENTAL HERO BUBBLEMAN Water/Warrior/4/800 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: When this card is the only card in your hand, you can Special Summon it to the Field in face-up Attack Mode. When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned successfully when it is the only card on your side of the Field, you can draw 2 cards from your Deck.

'Well, I certainly have no other cards on the Field, so I could use his effect. Here goes.'

Then aloud, after twirling the card gently, he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk. "I play Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Attack Mode"  
When Bubbleman appeared, a shower of bubbles appeared around him, as his white cape bellowed in the wind, with his light blue armor being the one thing that stuck out the most, save for a silver cannon on his left armor, as well as an armguard on his right arm, two canisters resting on his back, as well as his helmet being kind of shaped like Batman's cowl, as well as having dark blue cloth under his arm, as well as a silver belt of a kind, his arms crossed as he smiled.

"Thanks to Bubbleman being the only Monster on my side of the Field, Louis, I get to use his effect, and draw 2 cards." Tristan drew 2 cards, as he had gotten Bubble Shuffle and Elemental Hero Edgeman. He also noticed he had Skyscraper in hand. He nodded as he took Bubble Shuffle and showed it to Louis. "I now play Bubble Shuffle! When Bubbleman is on the Field, I can change his Battle Position with Bubble Shuffle, as well as one of your Monsters. And I choose... Behemoth!"

BUBBLE SHUFFLE Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when you have a face-up "Elemental Hero Bubbleman" on the Field. Change the Battle Position of "Elemental Hero Bubbleman" and 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. Sacrifice "Elemental Hero Bubbleman" then Special Summon 1 Monster with "Elemental Hero" in its' card name from your hand to the Field.

Bubbleman then knelt down, arms crossed over his chest as Behemoth got on all fours, both in Defense Mode.

Bubbleman's DEF - 1200 Behemoth's DEF - 1500

"But that's not all! Now I can sacrifice Bubbleman and Special Summon another Elemental Hero from my hand!" Bubbleman was then gone in a flash of light as Tristan took Edgeman's card from his hand and said "I Special Summon Elemental Hero Edgeman from my hand to the Field in Attack Mode!!"

After that, a large golden warrior with horns along the top of his head, as well as 3 green orbs visible, one on his forehead, one near his neck, and one on his stomach appeared on the Field, slashing the air with his hands as he then placed his arms into an X, his green eyes just gazing at the Field.

ELEMENTAL HERO EDGEMAN Earth/Warrior/7/2600 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the difference.

"Now, I play the Field Magic Card, Skyscraper!" In a burst of light, the fabulous massive city setting of Skyscraper began to take shape, all of the animals crying out as they ran off, Louis looking in surprise at the buildings. Tristan then said "Edgeman! Attack Behemoth!"

Edgeman flicked his arms, blades of gold becoming visible, his ATK boosted up by 1000 points to 3600 thanks to Skyscraper's effect. Wings soon came out as Edgeman shot right at Behemoth, his right arm dragging along the ground as he then slashed Behemoth right up the middle as Louis smiled. "So? How can you expect to beat me when Behemoth is in Defense Mode?"

"Edgeman's effect. He's a Trampler... and you know what those do, right"  
"Oh, crap! You mean that I'm going to lose this Duel due to the fact Behemoth's DEF is WAY weaker than Edgeman's ATK is thanks to your damned Skyscraper Magic Card!?"

"Yeah. Since Behemoth's DEF is 1500, and Edgeman's ATK is 3600, you lose 2100 Life Points... and that's Duel!" Suddenly, Edgeman's blade destroyed Behemoth as a blast from it slashed across Louis, dropping his Life Points to 0 as he skidded back along his bare feet, groaning. Edgeman turned to Tristan, nodding as Tristan grinned, giving a thumbs up to Edgeman, just before the Solid Vision of the Duel Disks went offline, Edgeman disappearing.

Louis soon wobbled and fell backwards, eyes swirling as he was out cold. Tristan exhaled and then heard Hallie's voice. "Tristan! I got the cage control all set up to let everyone loose! Soon as we get the animlas rounded up, and this guy gets taken by the cops, I think we can call it a day"  
"God, I hope so, Hallie... this has been one rough day!" Tristan replied. He looked about then noticed Louis was gone! "OK... we may not be able to bust Louis... he split"  
Hallie sighed and said "Too bad... but you stopped him cold at least."

Cedric looked at the controls and saw one that read "Cage Doors Closed" then hit it, which switched it to Cage Doors Open. With that done, all of the people in the cages began to run out as Tristan came walking back to his friends. Yugi came up first of all, smiling when he spoke. "Tristan, that was awesome!"

"Yeah, I owe a lot to Master Sakyo for giving me those lessons in Duel Monsters. I feel like my game has gone up a notch, and I want to reflect that in my life. Man!" Tristan grinned, arms crossed. "I bet if Serenity saw me, she'd be impressed too"  
"What was that?!" Joey replied, cracking his knuckles as he then grabbed Tristan into a headlock, gripping tightly, gritting his teeth while Tristan punched him in the sides as Yugi, TИa, Taro, and Melody all sweatdropped, as Melody said "Are... they always like this"  
"Yeah, they sure can be." TИa replied, shaking her head. "Just a bunch of testosterone-pumped idiots..."

Louis himself had been helped out by some of the animals as he smiled, grunting to them, talking to them. The animals soon headed back as he got up then began to walk off when he heard a voice. "Leavin' so soon, bud"  
"Zeke." Louis said as he turned to Zeke, a red haired Card Hunter, whom just smirked.

"Well, that went pretty well, even if you lost, beast boy. I gotta admit, these guys are tougher than we thought. After all, Yugi beat Senbei, who's one of the strongest of all of us... and that Taro kid beat Rumiko, plus JorgИ was on the ropes vs. Wheeler! These Duelists are something else... I wonder how anyone else would fare"  
"We wait and see when Miss Sarah tells us to move. Now... let's get out of here." Louis and Zeke then began to run off, as the Card Hunters continued to plague and plot... but their agenda was unknown at this point.

-To Be Continued...-


	15. Chapter 15

Attack Days Ago...

Pegasus J. Crawford, the head of Industrial Illusions, sat in a seat on his private jet, looking over some files. With part of his white hair over his face, over his missing right eye, he set the files down and thought 'I still do wonder what that person meant when he said the Card Hunters' leader wanted payback against me... in fact, that whole attack seemed odd...'

A couple of days ago, Pegasus was in his office at Industrial Illusions corporate HQ in San Francisco, looking over some papers, when he heard a noise coming from outside his office. He stood up and blinked as he said "Croquet...? Is that you"  
"Sorry to tell ya, Pops, but he's out. Almost everyone else is... so it's just you... and me..." Zeke said, stepping out of the shadows as he smiled, pushing his sunglasses up, as he bit into a jalapeno popper, chewing on it as he smiled. "Spicy stuff."

"Who are you!? How did you get into this office"  
Zeke took another jalapeno popper from a bag of them he had, eating it as he smiled. "Simple. I had them answer a fake call about needing them elsewhere. So now we're the only ones in here. The name is Zeke, by the way. Zeke Schroeder of the Card Hunters. Our leader gives you regards a bit, Pegasus J. Crawford." Zeke soon smirked arrogantly, holding his bag of jalapeno poppers near the creator of Duel Monsters. "Want some?"

"No, thank you. And I'd like for you to please leave!" Pegasus replied, slamming his hands down on his desk.  
Zeke shook his head, sliding his sunglasses off as he began to speak again. "Jeez, pops, you really need to take a chill pill. An old fart like you could get hurt badly by acting up. Anyhow... I came here with a purpose, and that's to Duel you! No ifs, ands, or buts! We Duel here and now... unless you're afraid of heat."

"Not a chance in Hell. In fact... why not?" Pegasus said, tapping a button under his desk, which caused a mural on his wall to slide away, which had a Duel Disk and a Deck of Duel Monsters cards resting next to it inside of a cavity in the wall itself.. He walked over to it and grasped the Duel Disk, sliding it on over his red European-style suit, as he then took the Deck, sliding it into the Duel Disk as he then walked to his desk again, tapping another button as the desk began to sink into a hidden area below, then a skylight opened as Pegasus smiled. "There. Now we can Duel to our heart's content... I had this added in a while back, to ensure just in case..."

"Yeah, yeah, it's all nice and good, but let's get this over with!" Zeke replied, flicking his Duel Disk into its' ready position, putting his jalapeno poppers into his coat's jacket as he drew his first five cards, Pegasus doing the same. "Duel!"

Zeke's LP - 8000 Pegasus' LP - 8000

"My turn! Draw!" Zeke drew his sixth card, examining his hand as he grinned and said "Get ready to feel the burn, old man! I play Darkfire Soldier #1 in Attack Mode!!"

In a flash of fire, a warrior with golden armbands, black and gold shoulder armor, blonde hair, and a red headband around his head, fire around his lower body as he slashed the air, glaring at Pegasus as Zeke took a card from his hand and said "I will next set down a card and end my turn!"

DARKFIRE SOLDIER #1 Fire/Pyro/4/1700 ATK/1150 DEF

"So... you're running a Fire Deck, I presume? Very well. I'll answer back. My turn. Draw." Pegasus drew his sixth card, looking over his hand as he nodded and said "I will set a card face-down also, and set a Monster face-down. Turn end"  
Pegasus exhaled, as 2 large Duel Monsters cards materialized in front of him, as Zeke smiled.

"My turn. Draw! You must know all kinds of Deck Themes given the fact you know the game so well by being its' creator, Crawford. So I apologize if I ain't more respectful! I now play the Permanent Magic Card... Scorched Ashes!"

SCORCHED ASHES Permanent Magic Card Effect: As long as this card is face-up on the Field, when you Normal Summon 1 FIRE Attribute Monster successfully, you can Special Summon 1 FIRE Attribute Monster from your hand to the Field. This effect can only be used once per turn.

In a flash, a card image of fire surrounded by ashes appeared. And Zeke had a smile on his face due to this.  
"Scorched Ashes' effect is simple. Once per turn, when I Normal Summon a FIRE Attribute Monster, I can Special Summon another one to the Field as long as Scorched Ashes is on the Field. So it is essentially gonna help me, but hinder me too! Allow me to demonstrate for ya the effect! I Normal Summon Fox Fire in Attack Mode!"

A blast of fire appeared as a red and white furred fox with a tip of fire on the end of its' tail appeared, as it raised its' hand up a bit.

FOX FIRE Fire/Pyro/2/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: During the End Phase of a turn when this face-up card was destroyed as a result of Battle, Special Summon this card from the Graveyard to your side of the Field. This card cannot be Sacrificed for a Sacrifice Summon.

"And I now Special Summon Ultimate Baseball Kid in Attack Mode"  
With the Special Summon Zeke made, a small baseball player in a red uniform, a purple spiked bat, as well as a red batter's helmet and yellow scarf around his neck appeared, fire blazing in his eyes as he gripped his bat with both hands.

ULTIMATE BASEBALL KID Fire/Warrior/3/500 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: Increase the ATK of this card by 1000 points for each FIRE Attribute Monster on the Field other than this card. Send a FIRE Attribute Monster on your side of the Field other than this card to the Graveyard to inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Now that I have Ultimate Baseball Kid in play, Pegasus, he gains 1000+ ATK for every other Fire Attribute Monster on the Field! Since I got Darkfire Soldier #1 and Fox Fire, that's 2000 right there, his ATK now at 2500 points. Think you can handle the burn? I don't think so. Fox Fire, attack his face-down card!!"

Fox Fire leapt into the air and shot a blast of fire right at Pegasus's face-down card, which was revealed to be a flying squirrel of some kind as Pegasus smiled. "You've just destroyed Nimble Momonga, so you've engaged its' effect." Nimble Momonga exploded as Pegasus's Life Points increased by 1000 points to 9000. Pegasus pulled his Deck out and said "Now I get its' second effect, and Special Summon 2 Nimble Momongas face-down on the Field!"

Soon, 2 more large Duel Monsters in a face-down horizontal position appeared as Pegasus smiled. "Now ask yourself. Do you really want to attack my other Nimble Momongas and increase my Life Points even more so, Zeke? Trust me, if you make that decision, you just are helping me..."

Zeke smirked, shrugging his shoulders. "Fair enough. I end my Battle Phase now. But not my turn. Trap Card, activate! Backfire!"

BACKFIRE Continuous Trap Card Effect: When a FIRE Attribute Monster on your side of the Field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, inflict 500 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

In a flash, fire appeared as Zeke smiled. "Now allow me to explain my Trap Card. Backfire is a Trap Card that benefits from my Fire Deck. Whenever a Fire Attribute Monster of mine is destroyed and goes to the Graveyard, Backfire inflicts 500 points of damage to your Life Points. And to continue the fun, I'll place a card down, and end my turn... now." Zeke now had only 2 cards in his hand, but smiled.

Pegasus simply took his next card and said "My turn, draw!" He drew his next card and said "Now I play my set Magic Card, Toon Table of Contents. This Magic Card allows me to add 1 card with 'Toon' in its' card name or is named 'Manga Ryu-Ran' from my Deck and add it to my hand." Pegasus pulled his Deck out and pulled Toon World out of his Deck, as he smiled.

TOON TABLE OF CONTENTS Normal Magic Card Effect: Search your Deck for 1 card that has "Toon" in its' card name, or is named Manga Ryu-Ran, and put it into your hand.

"Now I pay 1000 Life Points, and I play Toon World!"

TOON WORLD Permanent Magic Card Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points to activate this card.

Pegasus's Life Points soon went back down to 8000 as a large pop-up book appeared on the Field as a castle appeared out of it as Zeke spoke, a sarcastic tone in his voice. "Oh, great... the cartoons are in the house"  
Continuing his turn, Pegasus took a card from his hand, smiling. "I will now Sacrifice one Nimble Momonga and Special Summon Toon Summoned Skull in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of thunder, a cartoony white boned and purple fleshed demon with black wings and an insane look in his eyes appeared on the Field, cackling as he stuck his tongue out at Zeke's Monsters as he smiled then.

TOON SUMMONED SKULL Dark/Demon-Toon/6/2500 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned while "Toon World" is on your side of the Field. You can Special Summon this Monster from your hand, but Sacrifices are required for Toon Monsters of Level 5 or more. This card cannot attack in the turn that it is Summoned. Unless you pay 500 Life Points, this Monster cannot attack. When "Toon World" is destroyed, this card is also destroyed. If your opponent doesn't control a Toon Monster, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. If a face-up Toon Monster is on your side of the Field, you must select the Toon Monster as an attack target.

"And since Toon Monsters are Special Summons at times, I can still make a Normal Summon this turn. And I Normal Summon Toon Gemini Elf in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a cartoon version of Gemini Elf appeared on the Field, as the twins began to giggle together, landing right next to Toon Summoned Skull as Pegasus smiled and said "And now I set a card down, ending my turn."

"My turn then!" Zeke drew his next card and said "I've heard of your Toon World tactics, Pegasus, and how your little cartoons can attack directly if I have no Toon Monsters on the Field... all in all... that is not right that you would go and attack me so much with them damned cartoons! Now, I play the Magic Card, Hinotama!!"

In a flash, Pegasus looked in shock, as fireballs from the sky shot down, smashing him as he cried out, his Life Points dropped by 500 points to 7500. Pegasus panted heavily, some smoke rising from his body as Zeke smiled "I may use Fire Monsters, but I also burn the opponent other ways via Direct Damage Magic and Trap Cards, old man. Fire is chaos, true, but it also gives us warmth, and thus, my fondness for the flame came to pass... and thus the birth of my Fire Deck."

"I guess whatever works best for you..." Pegasus said, standing straight up. "I myself prefer the cuteness a Toon brings to the Field. Did you ever watch cartoons as a kid, Zeke? Or read comic books? I myself loved Funny Bunny, which made me come up with Toon Monsters and Toon World. That's why I do what I do. But in recent months, I have come up with new tactics. Let me show you one. Trap Card! Life-Absorbing Machine!"

LIFE-ABSORBING MACHINE Continuous Trap Card Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, increase your Life Points by an amount equal to half of the total Life Points you have paid in your very last turn.

"Every time I pay Life Points while Life-Absorbing Machine is in play, Zeke, I will gain Life Points equal to half of what I paid in the first place."

"Bravo, bravo, Pegasus. All I got is just 2 cards, so let's up my hand size. Magic Card! Pot of Greed!" Zeke placed Pot of Greed into his Graveyard slot, then drew 2 cards, his hand size now 3. He then saw 2 cards he could really use, and set them face-down. "With these 2 cards face-down, I now move to attack! I summon Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective in Attack Mode!"

Gaia Soul appeared onto the Field in a flash of fire, as it was a large collective of orbs, glowing red hot, as well as a single eye in the center. Zeke smiled as he raised his arm up. "Now I will Sacrifice my 2 Pyro Monsters, Fox Fire and Darkfire Soldier #1, to Gaia Soul's effect!"

Blowing up, Fox Fire and Darkfire Soldier #1's flames were sucked into Gaia Soul... its' body growing bigger as its' ATK then increased by 2000 points to 4000! For a Level 4, this would borderline broken in terms of ATK without some drawback, and Zeke knew Gaia Soul's strengths and weaknesses so he had to make his move or lose his Monster.

GAIA SOUL THE COMBUSTIBLE COLLECTIVE Fire/Pyro/4/2000 ATK/0 DEF Effect: You can Sacrifice up to 2 Pyro-Type Monsters on your side of the Field. If you do this, increase the ATK of this Monster by the number of Sacrificed Monsters x 1000 points. When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. Destroy this card during the End Phase.

"Gaia Soul! Since I fed you 2 of your fellow Pyro-Type Monsters, attack Pegasus's face-down Nimble Momonga!! Your ATK is much higher than its' DEF!!"

Gaia Soul floated up into the air, flames igniting around it as Zeke said "Combustible Blaze"  
A blast of heat shot from Gaia Soul's body, blowing away Nimble Momonga into nothing but ashes, Pegasus's Life Points dropped by 3900 points to 3600.

Pegasus's Life Points then went up to 4600 thanks to Nimble Momonga's effect, leaving his Life Points safe enough for now. Zeke smiled and said "Now I end my turn! Gaia Soul's third effect of it being destroyed at the End Phase of my turn is activated, and since it goes to the Graveyard... you know what that means, old man..."

Gaia Soul began to glow then exploded, as Pegasus said "Oh, no... Backfire's effect"  
"Yep!" Zeke smirked as Pegasus cried out, his LP dropped to 4100 points. Zeke smiled and crossed his arms. "Not impressed so far with your Dueling skills for a guy who is the creator of this game. Just hurry up and get your turn started!"

"My turn." Pegasus drew his next card, having 4 cards now. He took another 2 cards from his hand and said "I will now set 2 cards face-down and I play Coins from Heaven! As you know, this card allows us both to draw cards til we have 6 cards in hand. I have 1 left, you have 0, so you get 6, I get 5."

Pegasus drew five cards from his Deck, while Zeke drew 6, their hands replenished as Pegasus said "Now, I will pay 500 Life Points to allow Toon Summoned Skull to attack your Life Points directly since you have no Toon Monsters on the Field!!"

Pegasus's Life Points dropped to 3600 points, and Toon Summoned Skull cackled as his body sparked, thunder zooming across the Field, hitting Zeke. Zeke cried out from the severity of the attack, his LP dropped to 5500 points as he wobbled a bit, Toon Summoned Skull sticking his tongue out. "And to add some insult to injury, I activate the Quickplay Magic Card, Sebek's Blessing!"

In a flash, Sebek, the Egyptian god appeared on the Field, raising his staff, smirking a toothy grin as Pegasus's Life Points went up from 3600 to a whopping 6100. Pegasus smiled as he began his explanation of Sebek's Blessing. "When a direct attack is made on you, I can activate Sebek's Blessing, and gain Life Points equal to the damage I inflicted on yours. So I gain 2500 Life Points, putting me in the lead.

SEBEK'S BLESSING Quickplay Magic Card Effect: You can activate this card when your opponent inflicts Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points. Increase your Life Points by an amount equal to the Direct Damage you inflicted to your opponent's Life Points.

The twin elves giggled, rushing at Zeke. But Zeke smiled, raising his hand forward. "Fell right into my clutches... Trap Card, Ring of Destruction"  
Suddenly, the Ring of Destruction clasped around the Toon Gemini Elf , Pegasus's eyes shrinking. "What"  
"Now, EXPLODE!!" In a flash, Pegasus's Toon Gemini Elf exploded, the creator of Duel Monsters covering his body with his arms from the explosion, slowly lowering his arms down.

"You also are going to lose 1900 Life Points due to Ring of Destruction, Zeke, as you must know..." Pegasus replied.  
Zeke raised up his Duel Disk and smiled, tapping a button on his Duel Disk. "Not really. You're gonna lose 3800 Life Points. Counter Trap Card, Barrel Behind the Door!!"

BARREL BEHIND THE DOOR Counter Trap Card Effect: When an effect that inflicts damage to Life Points is activated (except Battle Damage), switch the damage you receive to your opponent's Life Points.

Suddenly, a gun appeared, sucking in the damage Zeke would have taken as it aimed at Pegasus and fired, blasting the creator of Duel Monsters fiercely, dropping Pegasus's Life Points by 3800 points to 2300. Zeke took a jalapeno popper from his pocket, popping it right into his mouth, chewing on it as he grinned. "See, old man? Leave the Dueling to us youngsters. I may be 17, but I can hold my own, as you can see. So, let's get this over with so I can burn you to Hell and back."

"You think you can easily handle me. Trust me, I can do just fine. Quickplay Magic Card! Mystik Wok! I will Sacrifice Toon Summoned Skull and increase my Life Points by 2500 points to 4800 points." Pegasus said, a giant wok tossing Toon Summoned Skull around, causing a massive explosion, and thus Pegasus's LP went up to 4800 points. He then took 2 cards from his hand and said "I will now set 2 cards face-down and end my turn."

Zeke blinked at this and said "He has no Monsters left... now's my chance! My turn! Draw!" Zeke drew his seventh card and then said "I play Solar Flare Dragon in Attack Mode"  
Another blaze of fire appeared as a long dragon with red scales along its' body, as well as glowing green eyes, and flames around its' whole body, and black plates along its' neck and 2 large horns. It simply roared as it looked at Pegasus, Ultimate Baseball Kid's ATK increased by 1000 to 1500 points.

SOLAR FLARE DRAGON Fire/Pyro/4/1500 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be attacked if there is another Pyro-Type Monster on your side of the Field. This card inflicts 500 points of Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points during the End Phase of your turn.

"To add the pain, I play Raging Summoning of Hell!!" In a flash of fire, two more Solar Flare Dragons appeared as Pegasus looked on and said "So, I see... your Deck's power is meant to be able speed with Magic Cards like that."

"Yeah! And I got another card to combo with my lovely Solar Flare Dragons! I play Hell Alliance"  
In a blast, the middle Solar Flare Dragon, the first one that Zeke had summoned began to grow larger than the other Solar Flare Dragons and UItimate Baseball Kid as it roared loudly, its' ATK increased by 2400 points to 3900 points! Zeke smiled and said "How do ya like me now!? Huh, old man!?"

RAGING SUMMONING OF HELL Normal Magic Card Effect: Each player Special Summons a Monster from his/her hand, Deck or Graveyard with the same Monster on his/her side of the Field in Attack Mode.

HELL ALLIANCE Equip Magic Card Effect: Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 800 points for each Monster on your side of the Field with the same card name as the Equipped Monster.

"Solar Flare Dragon! Attack his Life Points directly!!" The larger of the Solar Flare Dragons began to glow with white-hot flame, a burst of stream going right at Pegasus! Smiling, Pegasus raised his arm up and tapped a button his Duel Disk, saying "Just as I thought. Literally hot-headed and impatient, like the heat your Fire Monsters draw from. I play the Trap Card, Draining Shield"  
Suddenly, a shield rose up in front of Pegasus, blocking Solar Flare Dragon's ATK, and raising Pegasus' Life Points by 3900 points, raising Pegasus' Life Points to 8900. Pegasus smiled and said "So, what will you do now, Zeke?"

"Attack with my other big gun! Since I got 3 Fire Monsters in play, Ultimate Baseball Kid's ATK is raised by 3000 points to 3500 points! Ultimate Baseball Kid, attack him with Scorching Homer!!"

Ultimate Baeball Kid grabbed a baseball from his pocket, tossing it up, as he pulled his arms back, gripping his bat as he spun as fast as he could, igniting with fire as he smashed the baseball, sending it flying right for Pegasus. "Not going to happen! I now activate the Trap Card, Magic Cylinder!"

MAGIC CYLINDER Normal Trap Card Effect: Negate the attack of 1 of your opponent's Monsters and decrease your opponent's Life Points by an amount equal to the ATK of the attacking Monster.

Suddenly, 2 cylinders appeared as Pegasus said "This will negate Ultimate Baseball Kid's attack, and send the damage back to you!" The blazing baseball shot through one cylinder, circling around, and shot through the second, blasting Zeke, causing him to cry out as his LP dropped by 3900 points to 1600.

Zeke coughed from the attack, waving some of the smoke away, a grin now across his face. "OK, I'll admit that was hot, Pegasus. For an old man, you're pretty damn good. So I'll just end my turn now... nothin' better to do than that at least."

Suddenly the 3 Solar Flare Dragons began to glow as Pegasus cried out, his Life Points dropped by 1500 points to 7400 as Zeke smiled. "Oh, I guess you forgot Solar Flare Dragon's effect of inflcting 500 points of damage every End Phase of mine that comes to pass. Plus since there's 3 of them on the Field, you can't very well attack them, so you're stuck for now it seems."

"Don't be so sure, Zeke. I may seem 'old', but I know a bit about Duel Monsters. I did create the game after all, coming up with all of its' rules over the course of time. But enough jabbering. It's my turn. I draw!" Pegasus drew his next card, getting Black Illusion Ritual, Life Absorbing Machine raising his Life Points to 7650, 250 being half of 500. He also noticed he had Relinquished, one of his more powerful cards in hand as well.

Relinquished was a Ritual Monster which could absorb other Monsters into Equip Magic Cards, making its' ATK and DEF the same as the Monster it absorbed. Pegasus knew he couldn't take Ultimate Baseball Kid, since Zeke's Solar Flare Dragons would be protected by their effects. So he knew what he had to do.

"I play the Ritual Magic Card, Black Illusion Ritual!" In front of Pegasus appeared 2 goblets, one on the left, one on the right, and a kind of vase with the symbol of the Millennium Items on the front as Pegasus said "Black Illusion Ritual requires me to Sacrifice a Monster whose Level is 1 or more to Ritual Summon one of my strongest cards. Thus..." Pegasus took a card from his hand, showing it to Zeke. The Monster Card was green, with a magician's cap on its' had, thousands of eyes on its' body, as well as purple boots and gloves, white and orange collars above the arms.

"I Sacrifice this Level 1 Monster, Thousand Eyes Idol, to make the Ritual complete!" Soon, the goblets ignited with fire, the flames sucking into the vase, as the vase then exploded, as Pegasus held up a card. "I now Ritual Summon Relinquished in Attack Mode!"

RELINQUISHED Dark/Spellcaster-Ritual/1/0 ATK/0 DEF Effect: This Monster can only first be Ritual Summoned by the Ritual Magic Card "Black Illusion Ritual". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Star Level equals 1 or more from the Field or your hand. This Monster can take on the ATK and DEF of 1 Monster on the Field (a face-down Monster results in an ATK/DEF of 0). Treat the selected Monster as an Equip Magic Card and use it to equip "Relinquished". You may use this effect only once per turn and can equip "Relinquished" with only 1 Monster at a time. When your opponent's Monster attacks this Monster with an ATK that is higher, the Equipped Monster is destroyed instead of Relinquished. Any Life Point damage you receive from the attacking Monster when "Relinquished" is equipped with a Monster is also inflicted on your opponent's Life Points.

THOUSAND EYES IDOL Dark/Spellcaster/1/0 ATK/0 DEF

BLACK ILLUSION RITUAL Ritual Magic Card Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Relinquished". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose Star Levels equal 1 or more from the Field or your hand.

The appearance of Relinquished was... grotesque at first. Relinquished's body appeared demonic in nature, as it had light blue skin, with white showing here and there, as well as an elongated eye with a gold symbol to the Millennium Items on it, a kind of circle for a stomach, as well as what appeared to be wings. Pegasus then said "Relinquished! I activate your effect! Take Solar Flare Dragon! The one powered by Hell Alliance!"

Relinquished's "stomach" began to open up, quickly sucking in Zeke's Solar Flare Dragon as his Solar Flare Dragon's head appeared on the side of Relinquished's body, as the Spellcaster Monster's normal ATK and DEF of 0 went to 3900 ATK, and 1000 DEF, thanks to Hell Alliance being equipped to Solar Flare Dragon.

"You must know also that thanks to that, Zeke, your Ultimate Baseball Kid's ATK is also lower by 1000 points to 2500 now. You also only have 1600 Life Points left. I will drop them severely with this one attack. Relinquished! Attack Ultimate Baseball Kid"  
In a flash, Relinquished manipulated the head of Solar Flare Dragon, a stream of flames coming at Ultimate Baseball Kid, destroying him and dropping Zeke's LP by 1400 points to just 200 points. Pegasus knew Backfire's effect would kick in, but at this point, it seemed the Duel was won, as Pegasus's LP was dropped to 7150.

"And with that. I end my turn." Pegasus replied.

Zeke stood there and said "For this humiliation, old man, you're goin' down! As of right now! My turn! Draw!!" Zeke drew his next card, cackling at what he had gotten, smirking as he slashed the air with the card he held in his hand! "Now I sacrifice my Solar Flare Dragons!" In a flash of light, Zeke's 2 remaining Solar Flare Dragons were gone. "And thanks to their Sacrifice, you also get a weaker Relinquished, just one with 2300 ATK thanks to Hell Alliance. With my sacrifices, I summon Infernal Flame Emperor in Attack Mode!!"

With that done, Zeke's biggest Monster yet appeared, roaring loudly. Its' body consisted mostly of fire, as it had a lower body like a lion, and a head like one, its' hands clenched as it roared. Zeke smiled and said "This is the true power of Fire, Pegasus. This will burn you to ashes! Looks like our leader will get her payback against you, but through me. Too bad that it couldn't have been her, I bet. But screw her, since this was my assignment! Now... I will use Infernal Flame Emperor's effect!"

INFERNAL FLAME EMPEROR Fire/Pyro/9/2700 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When you successfully Sacrifice Summon this card, you can remove up to 5 FIRE Attribute Monsters in your Graveyard from play. When you use this effect, destroy a number of Magic or Trap Cards on the Field equal to the number of FIRE Attribute Monsters removed from play by this effect.

"I will remove my 2 Solar Flare Dragons and Darkfire Soldier #1 from play and destroy 3 Magic or Trap Cards on the Field! My choices are Hell Alliance, Toon World, and Life-Absorbing Machine!" With a loud roar, Hell Flame Emperor caused massive flames to burst all over the Field, exploding Toon World, Life-Absorbing Machine and Hell Alliance, dropping Relinquished's ATK to 1500 points. Zeke raised his arm up then thrusted it forward. "INFERNAL FLAME EMPEROR!! Finish him! Use Hell's Inferno on Relinquished!!"

Infernal Flame Emperor's mouth began to glow, then a stream of fire blasted Relinquished, but once the flames cleared, it was still there! Pegasus smiled, saying "You just sealed the Duel for yourself, Zeke. You don't know the true power of Relinquished. When it's attacked while Equipped with a Monster and its' ATK is lower than the attacker's, you take the damage, not I. So... you lose 1200 Life Points."

Zeke blinked, his LP dropping to 0 as he said "No way!... In the end, I was the one who got burned"  
"Now... Pegasus walked forward as the Solid Vision system of the Duel Disk shut down. "Who is your leader and how does she know me?"

"That I won't explain, old man! And besides... ain't you even woozy from the Duel"  
"What are you...?" Pegasus soon groaned, resting up against his table as Zeke smiled. "Good. I was right. You did take some good damage from my attacks... so now... I bid you adieu! Adios!" And with the drop of a smoke grenade, Zeke was gone... Pegasus slowly closing his eyes, his body hurting from the attack, his eyes closed... until he finally fell unconscious.

Pegasus came back to the present as he said 'The Card Hunters's leader... I heard rumors of them being in Japan, as well as Seto Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Jet heading to Domino City. That must mean I need to go there, and begin my plan to lure them out so I can find out who their leader is.'

"Croquet, full speed ahead to Domino City"  
With his sunglasses on, as well as a headset against his grey hair, Croquet nodded, as he began to set the plane's engines into full speed, making on its' way to Domino City!

-To Be Continued...- 


	16. Chapter 16

Episode 16 - The Masked Duelist and the Familiar Deck! Yugi vs. Kamen the Mystery Duelist Part 1

Yugi was laying in his bed, just sleeping peacefully, despite the fact Taro was sprawled out on his futon, just some inches from the bed, snoring a bit. However, that wasn't important... where Yugi was, he was walking around... in his dreams. And unbeknownest to him, his Duel Monsters Deck was beginning to glow it would seem. In his dream, Yugi looked about and heard a voice call out to him. "Yugi!"

"Huh? Who's calling my name?" Yugi asked, looking around. His surroundings seemed to match that of an ancient Egyptian temple, like the Room of the Soul Atem had when he was with Yugi. Looking around, the young King of Duelists blinked, thinking to himself. 'Why does this place remind me of the other me's Room of the Soul...? It isn't a space like someone whom lost their memories... but... I get this odd feeling.'

Soon enough, Yugi heard something really close to his ear shout "HELLO!!" Crying out, Yugi stumbled, then slammed hard onto the stone path laid out, groaning a bit. Sitting up slowly, Yugi rubbed his face, turning around slowly to where the voice was. He blinked when he saw Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, smiling at him.

"Horus...? That was you"  
Nodding, the small metallic phoenix-like Dragon smiled still. "Of course it was me, Yugi! Who do you think you've been hearin' at times, the Nameless Pharaoh! Aw, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But outside of a Duel, this is the first time you and me have been face-to-face. I never thought I'd get to meet you face to face and communicate with you."

"Am... I dreaming this all up?" Yugi queried to himself. Horus chuckled. "Yeah, well, kinda. But this is still very real, Yugi."

"Where am I exactly"  
"Call this the Common Room, Yugi. Here, you can talk with any of us"  
Yugi blinked in surprise, kneeling down to Horus's level of view. "Us? Who do you mean? You're the only one here... aren't you?"

"Nuh-uh. All of your Monsters are here, Yugi! You see, since you're the chosen one, the one who the Millennium Puzzle chose, you got a special bond to the monsters in your Deck. I just came out first 'cause... well, you remember how you acquired me and my grown-up selves, don'tcha?" Horus had asked, looking up at Yugi.

Yugi nodded at what Horus had asked. "Dad sent you and LV6 and LV8 to me in the mail, just telling me to use you all well"  
"And you will." Horus smiled, as Yugi smiled also, patting Horus' head gently. "Will... I be able to hear you"  
"Always. As long as you believe, you will always hear the voices of all of us. See ya, Yugi."

Slowly, Yugi stirred, Taro speaking out. "YUGE!! Wake up, man!" Shaking his cousin, Taro sighed until Yugi woke up.  
"Mmmm...?? Taro...? Why are you trying to scream my ears off, man"  
Rubbing his forehead, Taro sat on his futon and stretched. "Well, you were oversleeping, and we gotta split for school soon! Hey... you were kinda mutterin' in your sleep... mentioning Horus. You mean that LV Monster in your Deck, yeah"  
Yugi nodded, stepping down softly. "I did. It's weird... I saw Horus and talked with him, Taro. It was an amazing experience..."

Hearing this, Taro was surprised. "Yugi... you sure you're feelin' OK, man"  
"I'm just fine. Besides, sometimes, there's something more when you think about it to Duel Monsters, T. Haven't you ever just heard a voice calling to you and yet no one was there"  
Taro crossed his arms, beginning to think. When he had the answer, he smiled. "Yes. I actually have! I've also felt a kind of warmth from my Deck whenever I've Dueled. It's just cool to think about it. Why?"

"I'll tell you later. C'mon. We better get ready for school, since you were the one insisting we were going to be late!" With that all said, Yugi and Taro soon preapred to get ready for school.

After school was done, Yugi, Taro, T?, Joey, Tristan, and Melody all headed back to the Kame Game Shop, as Melody said "Ok, let me see if I get this again, Yugi... you and Atem Dueled one another in Egypt"  
"Yeah, in a place called Kul Elna. It was where the Millennium Items were created from what I picked up on... it wasn't easy for me to do that, but I knew I had to do it since I was Atem's partner. If anyone was gonna beat him, it had to be me. But there was only one other who's done that honestly..."

Taro looked at Yugi and punched his arm. "Aw, don't worry about telling us, man! It's still hard to believe all of this occured to you in the first place. I was surprised by it all when ya told me when I got here, and I still find it hard to believe! Trust me... all of this stuff would seem unproven by science, but sometimes, there's no certainities as we've learned."

"Yeah." Joey exhaled. "Still hard to believe too, eh, Yugi"  
Yugi nodded then stopped, everyone else stopping right behind him. The first to take a look, Tristan looked over to the game shop and said "Huh? Hey, who's that guy in the mask"  
"I don't know..." T? replied. "He does look a tad... different."

The man standing there had his back turned to Yugi and the others, but... he slowly turned, showing his features; he had spiked up black hair, a red mask over much of his face, save for his mouth, with white areas over the eyes to hide his face. He also had a black long sleeved shirt with brown gloves, and on his right arm rested a Duel Disk. His pants were green cargo pants, only bigger, with the pantlegs tucked into boots as well as a red bandana on his arm. He smiled, his face still covered, thus he gracefully bowed.

"I hate to be rather astute. Are you Yugi Mutoh"  
Yugi nodded. "I am. Who are you?"

"My real name is of no concern just yet, Yugi. But to tell you the truth, you can call me Kamen"  
Joey sweatdropped once he heard the name the man had given them. "Great... who does this guy think he is, Tuxedo Mask or something?"

"Yeah, I thought most masks like that went out of style years ago..." Tristan added.  
Yugi soon walked forward alone, hand resting on the strap of his backpack. "Why is it you've come all the way to the Kame Game Shop, Kamen?"

"I wish to face you in a Duel, Yugi. But then again, for someone of your stature, you must be getting challenges left and right. If you do wish to decline, I will accept that decision. Beyond that, I leave it up to you to decide what you'd like to do in this kind of situation."

Yugi nodded. "I will accept your challenge... it's just I need to get my Deck and my Duel Disk. I did just get back from school after all"  
"Of course. I will sit and wait then." Kamen softly walked to a bench nearby, sitting down on it, his eyes closed, while Yugi took his backpack and headed inside. "Guys, if you wanna wait also, feel free to do it."

Taro nodded, as he took a seat near the door and exhaled, looking at Kamen. 'Why am I gettin' such a vibe from this guy? He's not like any of the other Duelists who've shown up recently... somethin' about him is familiar'  
Seeing the serious look on Taro's face, much different from his average happy-go-lucky expression, Melody kneeled down.

"Taro, are you OK? You seem distracted by something"  
Hearing her, Taro blinked, turning to Melody, his face back quickly to his silly expression. "It's nothin', Melody! Just getting a weird feeling from this guy"  
"Good or bad"  
"I dunno... he just seems so familiar to me."

Inside of the house, Yugi grabbed his Deck and his Duel Disk, and with it on his right arm, he exhaled, eyes closed, hand on his heart, until his eyes opened and he rushed out of his door, heading downstairs, passing by his grandpa and mother, who looked at one another, following right behind Yugi after the young man had made it outside.

Yugi stood across from Kamen, his Duel Disk held up. "I'm all set to go"  
"I am glad to hear, lad." The masked man smiled, standing up slowly, showing his Duel Disk also, walking some steps from the Kame Game Shop, the duo locking eye contact with one another. T?, Joey, Tristan, Taro, and Melody looked on, soon enough, Suki and Solomon joining them.

"What's going on, kids?" Suki asked, looking to the teenagers.  
Taro looked over to his aunt, beginning to explain what was going on. "This Kamen dude showed up outta nowhere, and he wants to face Yugi in a Duel! To be honest, that's all we know so far... I mean, as odd as it's gonna sound, I've been feelin' that this guy is familiar to me somehow... but... I can't put my finger on it, Aunt Suki!"

Yugi flicked his arm, his Duel Disk locking into the ready position. Kamen followed suit, eyes closed under his mask, as he thought 'Yugi... son... it's time to see how much your skills as a Duelist have evolved, and if you are ready to face the leader of the Card Hunters...'

"Duel!" Both Duelists shouted out at the same time, their Life Point Counters rolling to 4000 points. After that, both drew their first five cards, Kamen saying "My turn!" He drew his sixth card, examining his hand carefully. Once he made his decision, he took a card from his hand, slapping it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone horizontally. "I summon Carbonedon in Defense Mode."

Appearing with its' arms crossed over its' body was a metallic grey dinosaur-like creature with sharp teeth along its' jaw, and red visor-like eyes, as well as protuding spine-like bone (or was it carbon?) from its' hip area and back. Kamen then exhaled and simply smiled. "Turn end."

CARBONEDON Earth/Dinosaur/3/800(?) ATK/600 DEF Effect: You can only activate this card's effect if it is in your Graveyard, and you have 10 or more cards in your Graveyard along with it. Remove this card from play to Special Summon 1 "Hyozanryu" from your hand or Deck to the Field.

'Carbonedon. I remember this card. If it goes to the Graveyard and 10 or more cards are with it, Kamen can remove it from play to Special Summon a Hyozanryu. I wonder why he would wanna Special Summon Hyozanryu... can't let that faze me!' Yugi thought, his index and middle fingers resting on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!"

Looking at his hand, Yugi saw the first Monster he had was strong enough to beat Carbonedon. He took his Monster of choice and said "I play Torike in Attack Mode"  
The small green beast Torike appeared, punching the air with its' tiny hands, squeezing them into a firm grip. Yugi soon thrusted his arm forward. "Torike! Attack Carbonedon!"

Charging forward, Torike thrusted its' yellow horn forward, impaling Carbonedon and blowing it up, Kamen covering his body with his right arm.

Tristan looked at the Duel, beginning to run evaluations. "One thing's starting to perplex me! How come Kamen played Carbonedon? Its' DEF was pretty small, granted, but he must have had a stronger Monster in his hand"  
"I think he wants Carbonedon's effect." Taro replied.

Looking at the smaller of the Mutoh cousins, Joey blinked. "Carbonedon's effect? Doesn't that allow him to just Special Summon a Hyozanryu if he gets 10 or more cards in his Graveyard with it?"

"Yes." Solomon smiled. "But why he would want to summon Hyozanryu is beyond me. This tactic... I have seen someone else use it before... but how does this man...?"

Suki heard what Solomon said and looked at him. "Solomon? Is everything OK"  
"Yes, it is, Suki, my dear. I am just thinking that this man Duels much like how Yuu would do it... but... it couldn't be him. At least I don't think so at this moment."

Yugi took two cards from his hand, sliding them into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "I will next set two cards face-down and end my turn"  
Kamen smiled and said "Very interesting move, I must say, Yugi. My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Kamen took his next card of choice, slapping it onto his Duel Dusk's Monster Card Zone, this time vertically. "I play Sapphire Dragon in Attack Mode!"

A sapphire blue dragon appeared on Kamen's side of the Field, its' small wings folded as it cracked its' tail, its' red eyes looking over to Torike, who began to shiver, but soon, Torike clenched its' small hands, showing no fear whatsoever. Sapphire Dragon clenched its' hands, its' yellow chest heaving as it let out a mighty roar.

SAPPHIRE DRAGON (English Name: Luster Dragon)  
Wind/Dragon/4/1900 ATK/1600 DEF

"I will also set a card face-down." Sliding the card into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, a Duel Monsters card flashed on Kamen's side of the Field. And... he pointed his index finger right at Torike. "Sapphire Dragon! Attack Torike!"

Sapphire Dragon's mouth began to glow, Kamen calling out its' attack. "Sapphire Spark!" As Sapphire Dragon's flames shot over to Torike, Yugi raised his arm and tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Quickplay Magic Card, activate! Rush Recklessly! This Magic Card can raise the ATK of 1 Monster by 700 points, and I choose to power up Torike to 1900, making it more than a match to Sapphire Dragon!"

Torike's body began to glow, its' ATK increased by 700 points to 1900 points, slapping away Sapphire Dragon's Sapphire Spark, then running forward, impaling it as Sapphire Dragon then blasted Torike with its' Sapphire Spark, both Monsters exploding into nothing as Kamen smiled. "Impressive. I can see why you are indeed the King of Duelists, Yugi. You knew, I assume that I would attack with a strong Monster like that."

"Naw, I just had a wild guess is all!" Yugi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. Kamen heard this, blinked, then began to laugh also, smiling as Yugi still rubbed the back of his head.  
"I will end my turn." Kamen smiled.  
Yugi smiled. "My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi looked at the card he had drawn, getting a solid card. He nodded and said "I play Mystic Swordsman LV2, in Attack Mode!"

A small warrior, wielding a sword of glowing purple energy that had a round handle near the blade, with the bottom of the hilt having a similar design, a green orb in them. The small swordsman's helmet stood upward, like a hat, which was white, like the robes on his body, with some yellow-gold lines along the robes, as well as armlets and such on his arms, which were covered in purple cloth, with his legs and feet covered too. He also had long blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, a mask over his face, green eyes, a serious stare on his mouth, with a green mark on his chin.

MYSTIC SWORDSMAN LV2 Earth/Warrior/2/900 ATK/0 DEF Effect: If this card attacks a face-down Defense Mode Monster, destroy the Monster immediately with this card's effect without flipping it face-up or applying damage calculation. During the End Phase of a turn that this card destroyed a Monster as a result of Battle, send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Mystic Swordsman LV4" from your hand or Deck.

"Mystic Swordsman LV2, attack Kamen's Life Points directly!" Mystic Swordsman gripped the handle of his sword, and dashed forward, crying out as he leapt into the air, slashing downward at Kamen. Kamen raised his arm quickly and tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Trap Card, activate! Draining Shield!"

A barrier wrapped around Kamen as Draining Shield's card was flipped face-up, blocking Mystic Swordsman's attack completely. "Thanks to Draining Shield's effect, my Life Points are increased by the ATK of Mystic Swordsman LV2, which is 900, so I am now at 4900 Life Points. And it also negated your swordsman's attack effectively."

"Oh well." Yugi smiled, taking another card from his hand. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn"  
Kamen nodded. "My turn. Draw." Drawing his next card, he began to close his eyes, calculating mentally. 'I have Carbonedon in the Graveyard, along with Sapphire Dragon and Draining Shield. That is two cards. I need 8 more before I can really let my strategy come to play.'

"I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Kamen then slid Pot of Greed's card into the Graveyard. '3 now. Let see...' Looking at his hand of 6 cards, Kamen remembered along with Carbonedonm, he had Sapphire Dragon, Draining Shield, and Pot of Greed. 3 cards. 7 more and its' effect could be activated. He smiled and said "I now play Graceful Charity." Having 5 cards with the activation of Graceful Charity, that meant 4 cards in the Graveyard for Carbonedon's effect. Drawing 3 cards, that made 8 cards in his hand. Taking two cards, Kamen slid them into the Graveyard slot of his Duel Dusk, now having 5 cards. 5 more to go. He then took a Magic Card from his hand and showed it to Yugi. "Magic Card! Silent Dead! This Magic Card will let me Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from my Graveyard to the Field in Defense Mode. And I Special Summon Sapphire Dragon in Defense Mode!"

Reappearing on the Field, Sapphire Dragon was crouching down, its' arms over its' body, its' card turned horizontally. Kamen next took a card from his hand and said "I will now Sacrifice Sapphire Dragon, and Sacrifice Summon Emerald Dragon in Attack Mode"  
In a flash of light, Sapphire Dragon was gone again, but thanks to his play of Silent Dead then using Sapphire Dragon as Sacrifice fodder, Kamen now had 6 cards in the Graveyard.

Roaring, a large emerald green dragon appeared on the Field, its' long wings spreading outward, its' face sagely with what appeared to be a beard, as well as it having emeralds along the back of its' legs as it roared.

EMERALD DRAGON (English Name: Luster Dragon #2)  
Wind/Dragon/6/2400 ATK/1400 DEF

Thrusting his hand forward, Kamen cried out. "Emerald Dragon! Attack Mystic Swordsman LV2!" Emerald Dragon's mouth opened, a bursting flame of emerald coming from it as Kamen shouted out "Emerald Flame!" The flames shot forward at Mystic Swordsman LV2 as Yugi gulped, crying out as Mystic Swordsman LV2 was destroyed, his Life Points dropped by 1500 points to 2500.

Joey looked and said "Whaddya doin', Yugi!? Come on"  
"Take it easy, Joey, I'm sure Yugi knows what he's doing." Suki replied, moving her hands in a downward gesture. "He is my son after all. He takes after me and his father after all. And I'm sure his father would tell him something like to always remain calm and keep a cool head. Getting hot-headed won't help Yugi in this situation"  
Joey exhaled, crossing his arms, eyes closed. "Well, I guess you got a point."

"'Sides, it ain't over til the fat lady sings as they say!" Taro replied. "Yuge's up to somethin'! I can just tell"  
"Me too." T? smiled. "You sure have some solid faith in Yugi"  
Rubbing his index finger under his nose, Taro smiled. "Well, he tries to help me, and I trust in him"  
"So, I wonder how Yugi will count the situation that he is in against Kamen. His Life Points have been dropped by 1500 points to 2500 thanks to Emerald Dragon's attack. That means Yugi could be in trouble." Melody replied, her hand near her mouth.  
"No problems! He's got a set card for some reason!" Tristan smiled. "Go for it, Yugi!"

Kamen smiled, arms crossed, holding his four cards as he said "Turn end"  
"My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi saw he had gotten Shallow Grave. But if he activated it, Kamen would get to Special Summon a Monster from his Graveyard as well. But he also noticed Zaborg the Thunder Monarch and Kishido Spirit. Perhaps he wouldn't have to worry! He had 3 cards in his hand, and now, he was ready to jet!

THE SHALLOW GRAVE Normal Magic Card Effect: Both players Special Summon 1 Monster from each of their respective Graveyards in face-down Defense Mode.

He smiled and took Shallow Grave, sliding it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "Magic Card, activate! The Shallow Grave! When Shallow Grave is activated..." A Monster Card quickly slid out of Yugi's Graveyard slot, face-down, with him picking it up and slapping it face-down. "We both get to Special Summon 1 Monster from our Graveyards in face-down Defense Mode. Mine is Torike."

Kamen nodded, immediately taking his Monster and slapping it face-down. "Mine is Sapphire Dragon. What will you do now? I still have the stronger Monster"  
"Strength, as my dad and grandpa told me, isn't everything about Duel Monsters, Kamen. Effects can be good too, as well as Magic and Trap Cards." Yugi took Kishido Spirit from his hand and said "I now activate the Permanent Magic Card, Kishido Spirit!"

Kamen and everyone else was surprised by this.  
"OK... so now his Monsters can't be destroyed in battles with Monsters that have the same attack... but what good is that gonna do him if he doesn't even have a Monster with 2400 ATK on the Field? Unless..." Joey thought.  
"I get it too!" Melody smiled. "Yugi must have a Monster with 2400 ATK in his hand"  
"Give the lady a prize!" Taro smiled.  
"But..." Solomon stroked his chin. "Which Monster?"

"Now, I sacrifice Torike to summon.." Yugi held out his last card, his Monster card as he said "Zaborg the Thunder Monarch"  
A blast of thunder took to the Field when Torike's face-down card disappeared, and then the thunder exploded, as there stood a silver armored giant. His shoulder armor had 4 arches along it, as well as 5 gold arches curving towards himself, as well as spikes near his face. His face was covered in the silver metal, with red eyes and what appeared to be a nose as well as a red neck, and a green helmet with a gokden crown like decoration, as well as pinkish fingers, and a yellow cloth near his legs with black stripes along it.

ZABORG THE THUNDER MONARCH Light/Thunder/5/2400 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: When this card is Sacrifice Summoned succesfully, destroy 1 Monster on the Field.

"Zaborg?" Kamen blinked.  
"Yep! And since I Sacrifice Summoned the Thunder Monarch successfully, he can destroy 1 Monster on the Field. And I choose your face-down Sapphire Dragon! Zaborg!"

Raising his right hand upward, Zaborg cried out, thunder shooting downward, destroying Sapphire Dragon, sending it back to the Graveyard. Kamen knew he still had 6 cards in the Graveyard, but remembering Zaborg and Emerald Dragon had the same attack, he knew why Yugi played Kishido Spirit now. "Zaborg! Attack Emerald Dragon!"

Zaborg leapt into the air, thunder crackling around his hands as he cried out. "Roaring Thunder!" Yugi cried out the name of Zaborg's attack as he shot a blast of furious thunder right at Emerald Dragon, destroying it, but giving Kamen one more card for his Graveyard... making it 7 cards now. Yugi smiled and said "I'm not done yet. Magic Card, activate! Coins from Heaven!"

"No wonder Yugi couldn't have activated his set card." Suki smiled. "He was waiting for the right opportunity"  
"Coins from Heaven allows both Duelists to draw 'til they got 6 cards in their hands." Taro smiled. "Since Yuge has no cards in his hand now, he's gonna get 6, and Kamen will get 2 since he has 4 cards in his hand. I knew Yugi had something planned!" Whooping with joy, Taro grinned.

Yugi drew his 6 cards, smiling as he did, while Kamen drew his two, a smile on his face too. Yugi looked over his hand and smiled as he said "I will now end my turn"  
Kamen nodded. "My turn. Draw!" Looking at his hand, Kamen nodded and said "I play Kaiser Seahorse in Defense Mode! And then I will set a card face-down! Turn end!"

Appearing on the Field, kneeling down, was a blue colored kind of sea serpent man, with a dark blue head, purple lining along its chest, purple legs to blue feet, with a two bladed staff between its' left hand's purple fingers, a shield as odd in appearance as itself near its' right arm. Kamen exhaled and smiled, knowing his plan was set into motion.

KAISER SEAHORSE Light/Sea Serpent/4/1700 ATK/1650 DEF Effect: If you Sacrifice Summon a LIGHT Attribute Monster, you can treat this 1 Monster as 2 Sacrifice Monsters for the Sacrifice Summon.

'Kaiser Seahorse. Kamen's up to something... could he be trying to Sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse for something...?' Yugi thought to himself. He exhaled, then suddenly, he heard a voice saying "Yep! He is"  
Blinking, Yugi turned and saw... Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, only he was transparent. "Horus"  
"Hey, Yugi, did you think you were gonna get rid of me that easily?" Horus smiled, floating by Yugi as he looked over to Kamen. "Waitasec! I know that guy, Yugi! He's the guy who sent me to you! What's he doin' here?!"

Yugi blinked in surprise at this and said "What're you talking, Horus? The guy who sent you to me was my dad"  
"Exactly! This dude in the mask IS your pop!" Horus replied.  
Looking at Kamen in surprise, who was smiling, Yugi blinked. 'Could Horus be right? Could Kamen be my father?... If he is, what is he doing here for real...? Something's going on, but I gotta keep going!'

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking rather serious for a moment, Horus still floating beside him, transparent, unseen by anyone else... as the Duel continued.

-To Be Continued...- 


	17. Chapter 17

Episode 17 - From A Father's Love! Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8! Yugi vs. Kamen the Mystery Duelist Part 2

Yugi looked at the card he had drawn, remembering his LP was 2500, while Kamen was at 4900 thanks to Draining Shield earlier. Kamen also had Carbonedon, Sapphire Dragon, Silent Dead, Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, 2 cards discarded thanks to Graceful Charity, and Emerald Dragon, making 7 cards he had in his Graveyard towards the effect of Carbonedon. If he had 3 more, he could remove Carbonedon from play and Special Summon a Hyozanryu from his hand or Deck.

Yugi looked over to his partner, Horus and smiled. "Hey, Horus, what do you think I should do"  
"I dunno... what's your set card"  
"Windstorm of Etaqua, but I am iffy on what his card may be." Yugi replied.  
"Go for it! You'll at least know what he's got set!"

Joey, Tristan, T?, Melody, Suki, Solomon, and Taro all looked over at Yugi, blinking in surprise. "Uhm... OK... I think Yugi's lost it, guys." Joey blinked, his arms limp. "He's talking to thin air"  
T? exhaled and then sighed. "Could he be going delusional since the Duel is not going his way"  
"Uh-uh. Yuge ain't that kind of Duelist! Somethin's up. Somethin' we can't see. I can just tell." Taro replied, crossing his arms.  
Solomon nodded. "Taro is right... we cannot see it, but Yugi is talking to something..."

"OK! I activate my set Trap Card, Windstorm of Etaqua!" His set Trap Card flipping face-up, a blast of wind spiralling from the card of a black bird flying through a windstorm, which spiralled around, shifting Kaiser Seahorse to Attack Mode, as Kamen looked in surprise.  
"Nice work, Yugi!" Taro cried out. "Since Windstorm of Etaqua forces all of your opponent's Monsters to change their battle positions, Yugi now has a shot at Kamen's Life Points with Kaiser Seahorse in Attack Mode!"

WINDSTORM OF ETAQUA Normal Trap Card Effect: Change the Battle Positions of all face-up Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field.

"Since Kaiser Seahorse is now in Attack Mode, I can now deal some damage to your Life Points, Kamen. Zaborg! Attack Kaiser Seahorse!" Yugi cried out, Zaborg charging forward, thunder wrapping around his right hand as he cried out, about ready to attack when Kamen said "Trap Card, activate! Crystal Seal!"

Suddenly, crystals formed around Zaborg, halting him inches from Kaiser Seahorse, but his whole body was trapped in crystals. Yugi gulped and said "Uh-oh... bad memory"  
"Huh?" Horus blinked, floating beside Yugi. "Whaddya mean, Yugi"  
"A guy my other self and I dueled once used this same Trap Card against us! And now looks like Kamen's got me trapped!"

CRYSTAL SEAL Continuous Trap Card Effect: Select 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, the chosen Monster cannot attack, cannot be used in a Sacrifice of any kind, and is considered off-field. If the ATK of the chosen Monster is changed, this card is destroyed.

"As long as Crystal Seal is in play, Yugi, your Monster is sealed, unable to attack, unable to defend your Life Points, and it cannot be Sacrificed. But if its' ATK is changed, increased or decreased, it will be destroyed. At least I protected my Life Points for this turn.

Yugi exhaled, looking at his 7 cards, as he saw he had Dark Magic Curtain. If he played it, he could at least get Dark Magician out onto the Field to protect his Life Points. Taking it, Yugi slid it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "I now activate the Magic Card, Dark Magic Curtain! At the cost of half my Life Points, putting me at 1250, I can Special Summon a Dark Magician from my Deck to the Field!" Pulling his Deck out, Yugi shifted through hsi Deck and then took Dark Magician, slapping it onto his Duel Disk. "I now Special Summon Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"

Slashing the air with his staff, Dark Magician raised his staff forward at Kamen. "And since I can't attack since I am in Main Phase 2, I'll set 2 cards face-down..." in a flash, two cards appeared behind Dark Magician and the sealed Zaborg as Yugi then took a 3rd card from his hand "And to chain with that, I play Emergency Provisions, sending my two set cards, Magical Hats and Zero Gravity as well as Kishido Spirit to the Graveyard with its' effect to gain 3000 Life Points."

MAGICAL HATS Normal Trap Card Effect: Select 2 non-Monster Cards from your Deck and 1 of your Monster Cards on the Field, then shuffle your Deck. Shuffle the 3 selected cards and Set them on the Field in face-down Defense Mode. The 2 cards selected from your Deck are treated as Monsters (ATK 0/DEF 0) and are destroyed at the end of the Battle Phase. You can only use this effect during your opponent's Battle Phase.

ZERO GRAVITY Normal Trap Card Effect: Change the battle positions of all face-up Monsters on the Field.

Yugi's Life Point counter beeped, rolling from 1250 to 4250, puttig him on more equal ground as he smiled. "Turn end"  
"Nice combo, Yugi!" Taro shouted out, a grin on his face. "Now you're on more of a playing field!"

"My turn. Draw." Kamen drew his sixth card and smiled, examining his hand. 3 more cards... 3 more cards and Carbonedon's effect could be activated. He looked at his hand and took two cards. "First I play the Magic Card, Terraforming! This lets me add 1 Field Magic Card from my Deck to my hand!" Pulling his Deck, Kamen looked over all the cards, until he got his Field Magic Card, and pulled it out, smiling. "And now... my Deck is shuffled." Kamen began shuffling his Deck as he then slapped it into his Duel Disk and smiled. Now he had 8 cards. '2 more... I also need the Magic Card I need to let it show...'

Kamen took another card from his hand and said "Next... I play my own Emergency Provisions, sending Crystal Seal to the Graveyard!" Crystal Seal disappeared, Zaborg shaking his head as he landed down next to Dark Magician, confused. Kamen slid his last two cards into the Graveyard, his Life Points now at 5900 as he smiled. "And that... makes 10. Now, Carbonedon's effect begins! Under the pressure of 10 of my other cards, Carbonedon is ready to morph from carbon to diamond! Now! I will remove it from play!"

Carbonedon's card slid out of Kamen's Graveyard slot as he pulled his Deck and then took his Monster of choice. "And with Carbonedon removed from play, I Special Summon Hyozanryu, the Diamond Dragon, in Defense Mode"  
A large beautiful dragon with a yellow horn along the end of its' snout, as well as two protruding from the back of its' head, as sharp yellow nails on its' feet and hands, as well as a similar colored under neck, as well as a belly, with long wings around its' body as it roared.

HYOZANRYU Light/Dragon/7/2100 ATK/2800 DEF

"Next, I will set 2 cards face-down and end my turn!" Kamen now had 4 cards in his hand, Hyozanryu kneeling still.

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his fourth card, looking at Horus, who smiled, while Yugi looked over his cards. 'Horus, should I attack? I mean, last time, he did get Crystal Seal on me.'

"I say go for it, Yugi!" Horus smiled.

Looking at his "partner" of sorts, Yugi nodded. "OK. Dark Magician! Attack Kaiser Seahorse!" Thrusting his hand forward, Yugi watched as Dark Magician charged right at Kaiser Seahorse, as Kamen said "Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack! This will end your Battle Phase!"

Dark Magician stopped inches from Kaiser Seahorse, thus effectively ending Yugi's Battle Phase. Yugi exhaled, and said "I end my turn"  
Kamen closed his eyes, placing his hand on his Deck. "My turn. DRAW!!" Drawing his next card, Kamen opened his eyes and smiled. "I play Crystal Evolution!"

CRYSTAL EVOLUTION Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 face-up "Hyozanryu" from your side of the Field to Special Summon 1 "Crystal Dragon" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.

"Now I will Sacrifice Hyozanryu and"  
Solomon gasped at this move, remembering something so suddenly. 'This move...! Yuu's made this move before...'

In a flash, Hyozanryu's body began to crackle, as it then exploded! Soon, the shards of its' body shot into the air, swirling around, until, a loud roar echoed throught the sky, and a long serpentine dragon, made of a fine light blue crystal, dark blue horns protruding from the back of its' head, 4 long legs with dark blue colored claws, as well as red eyes, and no wings. It landed down, part of its' very long body curving around Kamen as he smiled. "I now have Special Summoned Crystal Dragon in Attack Mode, Yugi. This is my second-greatest treasure... one of my favorite cards."

Suki gasped, her hand on her heart. "Yuu... he has this card in his Deck. I remember how he would sometimes call this Monster out... and he also referred to it as his second-greatest treasure... this man... why am I getting these feelings of my darling Yuu from him all of a sudden?"

CRYSTAL DRAGON Light/Dragon/10/3200 ATK/3000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only first be Special Summoned by the effect of "Crystal Evolution". This card can attack all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field. If you do this first, you cannot attack your opponent's Life Points directly with this card. Inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points for each Monster this card destroys as a result of Battle.

"Now, I will show you what Crystal Dragon can really do. Here I go. Crystal Dragon! Attack Dark Magician and Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! Its' effect allows it to attack all Monsters on your side of the Field, but I can't attack your Life Points directly with it once I do so!"

Crystal Dragon zoomed straight up into the sky, its' head then sticking outward as Yugi blinked. "Uh-oh"  
"Crystal Blaze!!"

Crystal Dragon's mouth opened up as a blast of fire and crystals shot out, impaling Dark Magician first, destroying him and dropping Yugi's Life Points by 700 points to 3550 and then blasting Zaborg for another 800, putting Yugi's Life Points at 2750. Yugi looked in shock at this as Kamen smiled.

"Thanks to Crystal Dragon also destroying your two Monsters as a result of Battle, you lose 200 Life Points for each Monster. That's 400 for 2." Yugi heard the beeping of his Duel Disk as it dropped to 2350. Kamen smiled as Crystal Dragon came down around him. "Yugi... I will not attack with Kaiser Seahorse... because this Duel is almost already over. Why do you not surrender and cut your losses?"

Yugi chuckled, and looked over. "Sorry, I've never been good at quitting unless it was to show a lesson. And I believe in the possibility in a hand. I've also learned that the greatest joy to a game is just having fun and giving your all! In a game"  
Kamen shrugged. "Very well. If you want to keep going, I admire that. My turn is over."

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and turned to it, as Joey said "Whoa. Yugi's on fire right now! What the heck has gotten into him?!"

"That, Joey, is the true spirit of a Duelist!" Taro grinned. "Givin' 100, and having fun at the same time!"

"Looks like Yugi's got something up his sleeve to beat that Dragon!" Tristan replied.

Yugi smiled and said "I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Yugi smiled, as he saw Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4, having drawn it as his second card with Pot of Greed's effect. He looked to his Duel Monsters spirit ally and nodded. "Looks like you're on, Horus. Ready to go for it?"

"You bet!" Horus let out, smiling as Yugi grinned, twirling the card between his fingers before he slapped Horus's card onto his Duel Disk's Monster Zone in vertical position.

"Let's go! I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Horus LV4 appeared, spreading his wings. Kamen blinked and said "Horus LV4?"

"That's right! This card is my partner! He and I are working together to achieve victory from what seems like an impossible situation, Kamen. This is a gift, from my father to me. And I won't let him down. Magic Card! Level Up!" In a flash, Level Up's card appeared as Yugi said "To use Level Up!'s effect, I need to send a Monster with LV in its' card name to Special Summon the Monster written on its' text! So I will send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 to the Graveyard and Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light surrounding him, Horus LV4 cried out as he then became the much fiercer and taller Horus the Black Flame Dragon, LV6! Yugi took one more card from his hand. "And now... I play a second Level Up! and will send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 to the Graveyard to Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 in Attack Mode from my Deck!"

Once again, the same light of Level Up!'s effect wrapped around Horus, evolving him from LV6 to LV8! In a roar, his arms and wings spread out as he floated behind Yugi, almost as tall as Crystal Dragon, Horus LV8 looked down and smiled. "I'm large and in charge now, Yugi! So, uhm... what's the plan, partner? I mean... I'm still 200 points weaker in Attack Points than Crystal Dragon is."

"I got a few cards in my hand that'll help. So get ready to boost yourself up." Yugi smiled, looking at the other cards in his hands. Looking upward, the others were all amazed at the size of the two dominating Monsters as Melody said "What can Yugi do? His Monster is 200 points weaker, even if he can now choose to negate Magic Cards."

"I'm sure Yugi has something in mind..." T? smiled, her hands clasped between one another. 'He has to have one... I know Yugi... he would...'

Yugi turned to his friends, nodding as he then gave a thumbs up to his friends and then turned to Kamen. "Get ready. 'Cause here I go! Equip Magic Card, Horn of the Unicorn"  
A crash of thunder appeared around Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, as a golden horn appeared on the gem on his forehead, his ATK and DEF both increased by 700 points to 3700 Attack, and 2500 DEF. Now he was strong enough to beat Crystal Dragon, but soon, he knelt down near Yugi's head, blinking.

"Even if I got a nifty new horn, Yugi, how'm I gonna blow most of his LP away? He's at 5900"  
Yugi smiled. "Leave it to me, Horus."

HORN OF THE UNICORN Equip Magic Card Effect: A Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK and DEF by 700 points. When this card is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, it is placed on top of its' owner's Deck.

"Next, I play Pump Up! This is going to double Horus's ATK from 3700 to 7400 for this turn, making it stronger than before!" Yugi smiled, as Horus closed his eyes, his body glowing with the surge of Pump Up's power in his veins. Taro grinned and said "Yeah! Looks like Yugi has got this nailed! Take down that Crystal Dragon, Yuge!"

"Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8! Attack Crystal Dragon!" Yugi cried out. Horus nodded, his blackish-blue flames charging from his mouth as he fired his Black Flame Inferno attack right at Crystal Dragon, slicing it right in half, easily destroying it, and sending it crashing downward, exploding as Kamen cried out, getting sent backwards, his Duel Disk's Life Point counter dropping from 5900 to 1700 as he hit the ground with a thud, his mask ripped slightly, as he slowly got up, but smiled as his mask fell off, revealing the face of a much older looking Yugi, only with black hair. "Looks like... I don't need to test you anymore... son..."

Yugi blinked and said "Dad! Horus WAS right"  
"Dad? You mean this guy is Yugi's father?" Joey asked.  
Tristan swallowed softly. "Whoa... now this is a major twist... I can't believe this guy is Yugi's father"  
"Yes... I am just as surprised as you guys..." Melody added, covering her mouth with her hands slightly.  
"Uncle Yuu!? OK, I am completely lost!" Taro blinked.  
T? nodded. "You're not the only one, Taro... I am just as confused as you are"  
Yugi blinked as he flicked his Duel Disk to the off position, but catching Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8's card, as he ran over to his Dad, Horus floating besides him in spirit form, still Level 8.

"Dad. How come you chose to disguise yourself from me? You know that I would have played against you 100 if I was up against you"  
Kamen, or really Yuu Mutoh, chuckled, smiling. "Sorry, son, but I wanted to be sure, that's all... and... it seems you have found your spirit partner"  
Yugi blinked in surprise. "Do you mean... you can see Horus too"  
"I can. In fact, that was the reason I sent them to you, Yugi. I could feel them calling to you... even from all that distance. I am still sorry for all of this..." Yuu replied, chuckling. "But you and Horus found one another at least."

Looking at one another, Yugi and Horus both smiled, chuckling as Suki walked over next. Yuu and Yugi looked over at her, as Suki's lip quivered, and then she just threw her arms around Yuu, hugging him and beginning to cry. Yugi smiled, wiping his eye as he watched the tears of joy his mother was letting out fall. Yuu blinked, but smiled, hugging Suki back, just glad to be back home. It seemed that for Yugi, a new discovery was beginning to unravel itself... like how it was he was able to see Horus when no one else except for his father could. But for now, these mysteries would have to wait for another time...

-To Be Continued...- 


	18. Chapter 18

Episode 18 - Arrival! Pegasus and Kaiba

Landing at Domino City International Airport, Seto Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon Jet landed downward onto the runway, as Seto Kaiba exhaled, taking his helmet off as he said "Unbuckle yourself, Mokuba. We're here"  
Nodding, Mokuba unhooked his harness, as Kaiba did the same, both leaping down after the Blue Eyes White Dragon jet landed down. Walking up were two men in suits, one of them with messy green hair, and a beard, while the other had black hair and no facial hair.

"Mr. Kaiba. We've been expecting you, sir. We can take your Blue Eyes White Dragon jet to KaibaCorp HQ if you wish that, or you can come to the limo"  
"You have a vehicle to transport the B.E.W.D. jet, then do it. I will come when I am ready." Kaiba replied, arms crossed.  
Both suits nodded and at the same time said "Yes, sir!" before they headed off, the roar of another vehicle coming up near the Blue Eyes White Dragon Jet, as Kaiba held a suitcase in one hand. This contained his Deck and his Duel Disk as he looked about. "Be that as it may... it is good to be home..."

"Yeah. It seems like Domino City hasn't changed much since we last saw her, huh, big brother?" Mokuba replied, smiling.  
"Yes. You are very much right." Kaiba replied, blinking when he then heard the sound of another plane, one with the marker "I2" on it, beginning to land on the runway. Kaiba and Mokuba looked at the plane as it slowed, finally coming to a stop. The passenger exit on the plane opened up, stepping down the stairs was most surprising... it was Pegasus J. Crawford!

Pegasus smiled as he stepped down the stairs, Croquet with him as he said "Croquet, see about getting transportation. And..." Looking over at Kaiba and Mokuba, Pegasus smiled. "Kaiba-boy! What a surprise to see you here! You and Mokuba both? What are you two doing here?"

"Like it's any of your business, Pegasus." Kaiba replied, scoffing.  
Pegasus clasped his hands together, smiling as he walked downward. "Now, now, now, it is miracluous that you are here! In fact, I had heard from a little birdie you were coming to Japan. Is it because of these Card Hunters"  
"Card Hunters?! How the hell do you know them!?" Kaiba asked, thrusting his index finger right at Pegasus.

Mokuba nodded. "Were you attacked by them as well, Pegasus"  
"I had been faced by them, Mokuba, and I had found out they were here in Japan. But first, I have something for you, Kaiba-boy! In fact, since I heard you were coming to Japan, I figured that giving it to you now would be much better! In fact, it's two somethings! Cards made for you and you alone, you lucky boy!"

"Cards?" Kaiba asked, blinking in surprise. Reaching into his shirt, Pegasus smiled, pulling out a card and handing it to Kaiba. "Here you are! Card Number 1"  
Kaiba took the card, seeing it was an image of Blue Eyes White Dragon, performing its' devastating Burst Stream of Destruction attack. In fact, that was the name of the card; Burst Stream of Destruction.

BURST STREAM OF DESTRUCTION Normal Magic Card Effect: You can only activate this card when there is a face-up "Blue Eyes White Dragon" on your side of the Field. Destroy all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field. "Blue Eyes White Dragon" cannot attack during the turn you activate this card.

"Well... this is quite the surprise, I must say." Kaiba replied. "Wait.. you said there was two somethings... what's the other something you have to give me besides this Burst Stream of Destruction Magic Card? And how do I know this isn't some kind of trick, like what you did to my brother and I"  
"Now, now, I am a reformed man!" Pegasus smiled. "I have no aspirations to take over KaibaCorp anymore! But now, the second something." Reaching into his suit once again, Pegasus pulled out another Duel Monsters card, extending it outward.

Kaiba reached out carefully, a... surprised expression on his face, then an annoyed one as he said "Is this some kind of a joke"  
"No joke, Kaiba-boy!" Pegasus smiled. "In fact, I think it should be interesting."

Kaiba shuddered at the card he had in his hand, which was of a super hero-like figure, whom had a helmet designed like Blue Eyes White Dragon's head, except for his lower jaw being visible, with black mostly covering the rest of his body, save for his white overcoat, red hair, and red shirt under his overcoat. He also had white metal spikes along the knuckles of his gloves, 3 kind of angles on his gloves, and 2 white marks on his upper arm, as well as long red hair, a card inbetween his left fingers as he had a grin on his face. The card name read... "Kaibaman."

Mokuba looked up and blinked. "Seto? Are you OK"  
"No... to be honest, I find this as a sick joke, Mokuba..." Kaiba replied, showing the card to Mokuba. "Look"  
Seeing the card, Mokuba cried out in surprise, about to fall over when he saw the card. "Kaibaman? Uhm... Pegasus... I just gotta ask... why make a card and name it after my big brother?"

Pegasus smiled. "To make amends for my siding with the Big 5! But I doubt your big brother would forgive me so easily since he seems like a vindicitive kinda guy at times, Mokuba! I at least hope he will enjoy this token"  
Kaiba shuddered as he said "You"  
Smiling, Pegasus waved and said "Ja ne, Kaiba-boy. I hope you will keep your eyes on the TV. Enjoy your stay here in Japan." Turning, Pegasus began to walk off, smiling, with Kaiba looking down at Kaibaman, still shuddering at the unusual sight before him.

KAIBAMAN Light/Warrior/3/200 ATK/700 DEF Effect: Sacrifice this card to Special Summon 1 "Blue Eyes White Dragon" from your hand.

Inside of the limosuine that Pegasus was in, Croquet looked over to Pegasus and said "Mr. Pegasus, sir, your first order of business now that things have been settled is"  
"We find Yugi-boy, Croquet! I'm sure he knows something about the Card Hunters too, if the rumors are true. Besides... I feel an obligation to give Kaiba those cards I made for him specifically. Being the only one in the world with working Blue Eyes White Dragons make him a unique boy indeed. I hope he will see the usefulness of BOTH of my gifts to him." Pegasus replied, smiling.

Meanwhile, at Domino City High School, Yugi was sitting on the roof by himself, getting some air. He smiled, exhaling as Horus the Black Flame Dragon, in LV4 mode, floated beside him, transparent to everyone else save for a few. Horus looked at Yugi, blinking. "Hey, Yugi, how you holding up since that Duel with your pop and since you also started seeing me?"

"Well, Horus, I am surprised by it, but not that surprised. Awhile back, I saw a world where Duel Monsters were real. Besides 10,000 years in Atlantis, and 3,000 years ago in Egypt, how long have Duel monsters exist...?"

Horus rubbed his right wing under his beak. "Well, we've existed for quite a long time, Yugi. Hard to date when... I mean, sometimes, there's a unique few whom have a connection to us. You and Pharaoh Atem got that when you were chosen to use Timaeus during Doma's attack. But it was you who was the True Duelist chosen to wield Timaeus' power, even if the Pharaoh hadn't discovered what being a True Duelist to him was yet."

"W-whaddya talkin' about, Horus? Atem always was the True Duelist. I never..." Yugi shook his head, still finding it hard to believe, before Horus spoke up again.

"That's not true, Yugi! You were a True Duelist 'cause you had one thing Atem didn't have at times, and which he learned from you, that being kindness. Why else be chosen by a Legendary Dragon, right? I mean, you even understood the pain Doma's swordsmen, Raphael, Alister, and Valon had. If you ask me, the way you enjoyed yourself when taking on your dad, that is definite proof you are a True Duelist. The Pharaoh even thought you were one... we could feel his presence for a time..."

Yugi blinked and looked at the ground. "Atem... thought I was the True Duelist"  
"Yep!" Horus smiled. "Hard to believe"  
"Yeah, I mean, for the time I was there at the Stone of Wilderness, I was trying to help Atem understand the darkness in his mind, as well as his weakness... everything else is a blur..." Yugi replied, rubbing the upper ridge of his nose, but then he heard the bell ring as he hopped up to his feet, grabbing his book bag as he headed downstairs.

Later on, Yugi was walking home with Taro, Horus floating right beside Yugi as Taro looked over at Yugi, blinking. "Hey, Yuge, how you been holdin' up"  
"Pretty good so far, Taro. How come you're asking me this"  
Taro chuckled and smiled. "Oh, no reason!"

Yugi smiled but then stopped when he saw a limosuine in front of the Kame Game Shop. Taro stopped also, scratching his head, blinking in surprise. "OK... this is a shocker. What's with the limo"  
"Dunno..." Yugi replied. He walked up slowly, Horus fading away, Taro right behind Yugi as the two headed inside, right upstairs, hearing voices when they then came into the living room, Pegasus sitting down with Yuu, Solomon, and Suki.

Pegasus looked over and smiled. "Ah! Yugi-boy! The man of the hour! Just who I wanted to see"  
"Pegasus J. Crawford? What are you doing here in Japan? I mean, I heard about you being attacked a while back..." Yugi replied, blinking.  
Pegasus sipped some tea softly and smiled. "Yes. And they... were Card Hunters."

"Say what!?" Yugi and Taro both cried out in surprise. Pegasus nodded. "Kaiba-boy is here in Japan too, and he in fact will come to see you soon, I am sure. Or contact you. But I wanted to tell you what I've discovered, Yugi-boy"  
Yugi blinked. "What did you learn?"

"Well, I found all sorts of information. It seems they've been in the shadows for a long time, plotting and waiting. Apparently, they've targetted many Duelists to just gather cards... it would seem they also have ties to another company, Starlight apparently. But I am not sure. My information gathering network is most impressive, but we do not know all of the information we want." Pegasus leaned back, sipping some tea.  
"I've heard of Starlight." Yuu replied, arms crossed. "All I know about them is that they are a company that produces cybernetics technology for both the militaries of the world and much more. Big name in the US and the UK, and starting to get a few firms here in Japan."

Suki nodded. "Yes. Their building recently opened about 4 months ago, and is in the business district in the city"  
"So perhaps there may be a connection to Starlight and the Card Hunters. My information network will do more digging. But in the meantime, I have a plan to lure them out. I worked it out on my way here. And now, it is set. It will be ready."

"Huh? What exactly do ya mean?" Taro asked, scratching his head. Pegasus smiled. "You'll see"  
Soon enough, Pegasus was walking towards the door as he bowed. "Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Mutoh. I appreciate it." Before he headed out. Yugi sat down and said "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, was Pegasus just here to wait for me?"

"Apparently, yes." Solomon smiled. "But I believe that there is more to this"  
Yuu nodded. "You have a good point there, Dad. I've heard of what kind of things Pegasus is known for all sorts of wild and eccentric things. But... my guess is something big... bigger than Duelist Kingdom or anything else he's done will occur with this plan of his to lure out the Card Hunters. I've heard of them too..."

Taro sat next to Yugi and leaned back. "So, unc, care to fill us in on what you may know"  
"Actually, I just know that they are after the rarest cards and best Decks, as well as something else. But I don't know all the details." Yuu replied.  
Suki smiled softly, patting her husband's hand. "Do not fret, dear. It's all right"  
Feeling the comfort of his wife's hand, Yuu looked over to her and smiled. "I know. Thank you, Suki."

Solomon stroked his head. "Pegasus did say he had wanted to find other Duelists. Perhaps that is a hint to his plans. But enough of that"  
"Yeah, I agree, Gramps! I think I am gonna go get relaxed..." Taro replied, standing up as he stretched, heading off into the back, as Yugi looked up at the ceiling, wondering what Pegasus was up to... and if he was holding back information. But all of this would have to wait.

Walking into the hall of KaibaCorp Japan's offices, Kaiba looked about, Mokuba right next to him, Kaiba looked about and smiled. "It seems everything is in tip-top shape. Good to hear, but..." Kaiba pulled out Kaibaman, an annoyed look on his face as he looked at it. "WHY THE HELL DID PEGASUS HAVE TO GO AND MAKE A CARD AFTER ME AND MAKE IT LOOK THIS RIDICULOUS"  
Mokuba sighed. "Big brother... are you going to be like this the whole time with Kaibaman?"

"Yes! I am Seto Kaiba, president of KaibaCorp, and one of the strongest Duelists in the world! I cannot have this mockery of a card around! I think I should just rip it!" Kaiba gripped the ends of the card, about to rip it, but he couldn't find himself able to rip it as he waved his hand rapidly. "Why the"  
"Seto..." Mokuba blinked, seeing something.

Kaiba blinked and heard a voice said "Hey! Whatcha think you're gonna do to me, buddy boy?" Crying out, Kaiba stepped back and there was Kaibaman, transparent, but visible to the brothers.  
"What.. is... going on...?" Kaiba asked, a befuddled expression on his face... unable to comprehend what was going on...

However... in the business district, at Starlight's base of operations, the Card Hunters were in waiting. Senbei was meditating, Rumiko sitting next to her big brother, looking over at him, Zeke and Uniqua sitting next to one another too, Zeke's arm around Uniqua's shoulder as Uniqua placed her hand on his chest, with Louis eating some fruit while he looked at each of his cards, while JorgИ was reading a book.

Mark, meanwhile, was in Sarah's office, looking over some files. "And it would seem, Ms. Sarah, that Pegasus J. Crawford has come here to Domino City. I am not sure what he's doing here, but it's also reported Seto Kaiba has shown up in the city as well. What do you think we should do about them"  
"We do nothing yet, Mark. When the time comes, we will then strike." Sarah smiled. "So... what about Yugi and his motley crew?"

"We've seen losses from almost all of us against Yugi or his friends... but then again, there's a few we haven't tested against yet"  
But... before Mark could continue, a voice rang from the shadows, this one a rough voice. "So, we test these others then! I mean, it's not rocket science that we wanna take down someone in this group, right!? And I do know how much gettin' Pegasus will mean to our leader."

"Who are you to talk that way about Ms. Sarah, Keith!?" Mark snapped, as the man stepped out of the shadows, smiling. Bandit Keith Howard, the former United States champion, stepped out of the shadows, smiling as he pushed his sunglasses up. His face had some stubble down the chin along his neck, as well as along his upper lip. He had a black leather jacket on, zippers along the sleeves, as well as black fingerless gloves, dark blue cargo pants with two large pockets, black boots with 2 straps along the ankles, a red shirt underneath his jacket, as well as a bandana designed after the American flag.

"I'm the guy who can assist in takin' down someone in that group." Keith smiled, taking his sunglasses off. "And besides, there's plenty more of you guys to work with, right? 'Sides, who says they can't be beat right"  
"I do believe that it is possible to win, if you'll permit me to do so, Keith." A voice rang out. Keith turned and smiled, seeing a young boy with brown skin, a black headband with a small white feather sticking downward, a black vest, with a black necklace around his neck, a white short-sleeved t-shirt underneath it, as well as blue jeans and hiking boots.

"Kite. Good to see you made it in. How's the mom"  
"Good, good, Keith." Kite replied. "Ms. Sarah, was it? Allow me to take on Joey Wheeler. I'd like to see if he truly is in sync with his Red Eyes Black Dragon"  
Sarah looked at Kite, her fingers intertwined, her chin on her fingers. She then closed her eyes and smiled. "Very well"  
"Thank you." Kite bowed softly, then with a Duel Disk on his arm, took out a Deck of Duel Monsters cards, sliding it into his Duel Disk and smiled. The Card Hunters now had a new Duelist, ready to show his stuff. What did this mean for Yugi and his friends... who knew exactly...?

-To Be Continued...- 


	19. Chapter 19

Episode 19 - Enter Vivian Wong! The Bonds of Trust and Love

In his apartment in downtown Domino City, Lee Seiron was doing some cleaning up, something he hadn't done in a while since he had been busy with work as well as school. He sighed at the mess of things he had scattered about... his clothing, some martial arts equipment like tonfas, nunchakus, a few Mandarin-style broadswords, as well as his apron from work, and his Duel Disk and Deck in his backpack... but there was something he didn't expect to see!

"Huh?" Blinking, Lee kneeled down and picked up an envelope, turning the front towards himself as his eyes shrunk. "Oh... My... God... this is"  
After the realization of this, Lee put the envelope into his pocket, grabbed his coat as well as his backpack and bolted off as fast as he could, panting heavily.

However, at Chenmen, Mr. Chen had his other employers working hard due to the swarm of customers. He looked about and thought of his Duel with Lee, how it made him see the only way he could get better was to make sure he faced someone whom was better than himself. He just smiled, chuckling a bit. Over the crowd of chatter, he blinked when someone said "Excuse me."

Turning, Mr. Chen saw a pretty young woman whom appeared to be Chinese, wearing a small yellow colored Chinese dress with red lining along the collar, and down the left side of the dress near the upper arm, as well as lining like that around her upper arms too as the dress had the skirt cut along the hips as well as along her upper legs with a red lining along it. Her hair was also in a Chinese chignon style at both sides, light pink in color as well as a dark pink along the ends with part of it in front with golden adornments to make them a tad longer, as well as a silver armlet on her right arm, with dark pink Mandarin style shoes, her lips red due to lipstick.

"Yes? Can I help you, miss"  
The young woman smiled. "You can. Can you tell me where Lee Seiron is"  
"Well, when Lee ain't workin' here, there's a couple of places I know he's hung out at. He mentioned them to me once and I made sure to keep 'em written down. Lemme get that information. By the way... why do you ask about this?"

The young woman smiled still. "I'm a friend of his, that's all"  
Chen nodded and handed her a card. "First address is his apartment, but he may not be there. So I suggest tryin' the second address, which is the Kame Game Shop. He's usually out there, hanging out and playing Duel Monsters"  
"Then I will try there. Thank you very much." The young woman smiled, heading off.

Lee soon came into the Kame Game Shop, heading upstairs, but taking his shoes off before he did, racing up the stairs. "Yugi! Taro! Anyone here"  
Yugi blinked when he heard Lee's voice and stepped out. "Lee? What's goin' on"  
Joey poked his head out also, T? and Tristan and Taro also surprised.

"Hey, guys... I got a problem. Big!" Lee pulled the envelope out and said "Should I explain"  
"Yeah, please, already! We're kinda confused about this whole thing, man! You just c'mon over like it's the end of the world or somethin'! Sit down an' breathe!" Taro replied.  
Nodding, Lee took a seat down, legs crossed. "Well, guys, I was doing some cleaning in my apartment, right, and I find this letter I thought I sent out"  
"Who's the letter to, Lee?" Yugi asked.  
"Vivian." Lee replied, sighing. "I thought I had sent this out so long ago... I can't believe it's here still... oh, man"  
T? frowned and said "I'm sorry to hear that, Lee... I also hate to intrude, but could you please tell us what the letter says"  
"We're all friends here, so if you don't wanna, it's cool with us." Joey replied.  
Tristan nodded. "Unless it's uber-private."

Lee exhaled, opening the envelope and pulled the letter out.

"My dear Vivian, I wanted to let you know I apologize for not coming home sooner than I had planned. Problem is, I've had no money to get home to Hong Kong, so I've decided to work here in Japan as well as go to school for a while. I consider it a learning experience though, since I can battle against some of Japan's best Duelists and martial artists to improve my skills. I do wish I was back home though, so I could hold you in my arms again... but I promise you I won't love another. You mean a lot to me, Vivian. I love you so much. Lee."

Sniffling, Yugi wiped his eye as did Taro, who was biting his lower lip. "That was beautiful, man! A skilled martial artist, Duelist, cook, and writer!? Who knew!?" Taro soon began to just bawl as T? sniffled. "So, Lee... do you think Vivian is worried?"

"I hope so..." Lee replied. "I mean, it's not like she's going to appear outta nowhere, right"  
Solomon, whom was walking downstairs, blinked in surprise when the Kame Game Shop's door flew open and in rushed someone. Gasping in shock, Solomon gulped but chuckled when he saw the young woman. "V-vivian! What a surprise!"

"OK, Mr. Mutoh, I was told about my boyfriend being here. Now where's Lee"  
"I don't know... I"  
Vivian leaned forward, having a serious look on her face. "I am going to ask one more time..." Walking slowly behind Solomon, she then tapped a spot on his back, a pressure point, which made Solomon tense and caused him to land on his stomach, his back bothering him. "Where's Lee"  
"Viv?" Lee's voice rang out as he stepped down the stairs. Once he saw it was Vivian, he smiled and said "Viv! I thought that was you, bun!"

Soon, Vivian turned to Lee and pointed her finger into his chest. "Don't give me any of that bun crap, Lee Seiron! How come you haven't written to me since you got to Japan!?" Sniffling, her eyes watering up, Vivian spoke again. "You told me you were gonna write me! How could you!? What'd you do, find some new girlfriend prettier than me!? You did, didn't you!?"

"Viv, it wasn't like that, I swear! I can explain, but"  
"Please... someone pop my back back into place!" Solomon cried out.  
Lee blinked and said "OK, hang on, Mr. Mutoh." He then thrusted his index and middle fingers into the same pressure point Vivian had hit earlier and said "There we go. Vivian, no one else in the world is for me, I swear!"

"Ha!" Vivian said. "That's a load of bull"  
Hearing the commotion from upstairs, Yugi stood up and said "We better go down and try to help Lee out, guys"  
"Uhm, how scary is this Vivian chick...?" Taro asked, as he watched everyone else walk off, til Joey grabbed his shirt's collar and dragged him along.

Stepping downward, Yugi, Joey, whom put Taro onto his feet, T? and Tristan all appeared downstairs as Lee said "Guys..."

Vivian smiled and said "Yugi-chan! What a surprise to see you here! I'm glad you can see me rip my so-called boyfriend here a new one"  
"Viv, if you'd let me explain"  
"I don't want to hear it!" Vivian said, as soon enough, Yugi whistled loudly. "Hold it!"

Vivian and Lee looked to Yugi as Yugi said "Vivian, if you don't believe Lee, why not take him on in a Duel? Sometimes, the best way to read a person's emotions is in a Duel so maybe you two could Duel in order to settle this."

Lee smiled and said "Good idea! Viv"  
Vivian nodded and said "Alright. And I know just the place... I saw it on my way over here. If you all wish to accompany us, an audience would be nice"  
Yugi looked at the others and said "OK then! Let's go for it!"

Once everything was done, the group all came the Chinatown district of Domino City, the group came to a Chinese-style garden, which had a lovely long grassfield, as well as flowers and a very Chinese-style feel. Vivian smiled and said "Reminds me of home. So, Lee, how do you wanna do this Duel"  
"4000 LP is cool with me, Viv-chan, just so you can try to let me explain that I"  
Vivian pointed her finger right onto Lee's nose. "No explanations are needed from you, I can guess that you have a new girlfriend somewhere but you just don't wanna tell me to my face!"

Lee groaned, knowing he wasn't going to get a word in edgewise, so he just sighed, pulling his Duel Disk out of his backpack, as well as his Deck. Sliding his Duel Disk on, Lee walked with Vivian as Vivian smiled. "Once I best you, Lee, I'll get you to tell me everything"  
Rubbing his forehead, Lee exhaled. "Viv, I told you, I don't got a new girlfriend, but I got a perfectly good explanation"  
"Well, well, you can then give it to me... IF you win." Vivian smiled.

Yugi, Taro, T?, Joey, Tristan, and Solomon all sat down on a stone bench as Yugi spoke up. "This is going to be a weird Duel, given poor Lee hasn't had a chance to tell Vivian about the letter yet"  
"I know. Poor Lee..." T? replied. "She isn't going to make this easier for him"  
Taro looked on, chin on his palm. "So, uhm, what kind of a Deck does Vivian run"  
"It's a kind of Oriental Deck from what we made out when she battled against Rebecca Hawkins during the KaibaCorp Grand Prix, as well as a time she Dueled Yugi outside of the official matches. I wonder if Lee knows the intricacies of Vivian's Deck since he is her boyfriend..." Joey asked.

"Let's just wait and see. But this should be exciitng!" Solomon smiled. "I love it whenever a good Duel occurs! I hope this will be a good one"  
Tristan looked on as he said "Well, they won't make it easy..."

Lee slapped his Deck into his Duel Disk, getting it into the ready position as Vivian did the same, both looking at one another as they then said "Duel!"

Vivian drew her first five cards as did Lee as Lee looked a bit saddened as he exhaled. "I will start the Duel. My turn!" Vivian drew her sixth card, and smiled as she said "I will play Mirage Dragon in Attack Mode"  
Appearing in front of Vivian was a long golden dragon with armor over its's legs, somewhat, a scythe for a tail, long marine blue hair, and green eyes as it roared.

MIRAGE DRAGON Light/Dragon/4/1600 ATK/600 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the Field, your opponent cannot activate Trap Cards during the Battle Phase.

"I will then set a card face-down and end my turn!" Vivian smiled. "So, who is this new girlfriend of yours, Lee!? What, is she prettier than me"  
"Vivian, I told you, I"  
"Oh, so you don't wanna tell me, huh!? OK, fine then! Hurry up and make your move!"

Lee sighed, shaking his head, as he said "My turn." Drawing his sixth card, Lee looked at his hand to figure out what he wanted to do.  
"Hey, Yugi, what does Mirage Dragon do?" Joey asked.  
Yugi looked to his best friend and said "Well, Mirage Dragon's effect is while it's face-up on the Field, during the Battle Phase, its' controller's opponent can't activate Trap Cards. My guess is Vivian chose to lead off with Mirage Dragon due to its' effect so that Lee couldn't use his Trap Cards."

"That would be a smart tactic." Tristan replied. "Trap Cards can make or break a Duel, just like Magic Cards, so Vivian wanted to try and make sure she had the advantage, I'd say"  
T? nodded. "Lee is going to need to be careful, I am sure, considering we know how strong Vivian is."

Lee looked over his hand and said "I will play Reinforcement of the Army and add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster from my Deck to my hand"  
Pulling his Deck out, Lee shuffled through to see what kind of a Monster he could get, as he then made his choice and added a Warrior-Type Monster to his hand. He then said "And now for the second effect to Reinforcement of the Army; Deck Shuffle." Lee began to shuffle his Deck, then slid it back into his Duel Disk.

Taking his card of choice from his hand, Lee smiled and said "I play Dragon Fist in Attack Mode"  
In a gust of wind, a dragon-like human appeared onto the Field, with black hakama and a white priest style top appeared on the Field, its' stance similar to that of the Dragon style of Kung Fu as Lee smiled. Another of his animalistic Warriors based off the martial arts of various styles.

DRAGON FIST Wind/Warrior/4/1900 ATK/1400 DEF

"I will next set a card face-down, and then I will have Dragon Fist attack!" Dragon Fist charged forward, as Lee then called out its' attack name. "Dragon Claw"  
Dragon Fist then thrusted its' fingers forward, as Vivian smiled and said "Trap Card, Draining Shield"  
A large shield appeared in front of Vivian's Mirage Dragon, blocking the attack of Dragon Fist, blocking its' attack, and blowing him back to Lee's side of the Field. Then, Vivian's Life Points increased by 1900 points to 5900 points.

"Alright. I will end my turn." Lee smiled. 'You know, Viv, I've been reminded a bit so far of our first Duel. I mean, you did do something very similar to this when we first met and Dueled one another. Don't you remember that?"

"Well, of course I do, but I told you, once I beat you, I wanna know everything that's gone on here! And I don't care for what you have to say right now!" Vivian replied. "My turn. Draw!" Drawing her next card, Vivian examined her hand, then nodded as she took a card from her hand. "I will set one card face-down, and then set one Monster face-down to end my turn." Vivian looked at Lee and then glared at him and said "You got some nerve to call yourself my boyfriend, to be with me then you just go to Japan and just leave me! How could you go and do something like this to me!?" Vivian soon began to sniffle, as everyone looked... surprised at this as Vivian began to bawl.

"Viv... I..." Lee sighed, knowing she wasn't going to listen to reason... but he knew he had to be careful too. She was a skilled Duelist.. and he knew this from experience. "My turn! Draw!" Lee drew his next card, looking at it to see if it was something that could help.

He saw he had Giant Trunade, but even with a Monster face-down, Lee couldn't take chances. He thrusted his hand forward. "Dragon Fist! Attack Mirage Dragon"  
Charging forward, Dragon Fist pulled, its arms back, ready to slash downward at Mirage Dragon, slashing it in the middle, dropping Vivian's Life Points down by 300 points to 5600, but Vivian seemed unfazed by her LP being dropped by 300 points as she said "Going slow and steady, are we, Lee?"

"I got no better options than that. For my next move, I will set another card face-down... and end my turn." Lee replied, slashing the air with his hand. "Besides... I want to enjoy this as best I can. That is something I learned here from Yugi... to enjoy a Duel, but give it your all"  
Vivian blinked at the wisdom behind Lee's words... but shook it off and said "My turn! DRAW!!" Drawing her next card, and choosing a card, Vivian held up Pot of Greed, smiling. "I will now play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed."

Sliding two cards off the top of her Deck elegantly, Vivian playfully turned on her right heel and said "Now I play King Tiger Wanghu in Attack Mode"  
With a loud roar, a white tiger bearing large sabertooth tiger-like fangs, silver armor along its' back and shoulders as well as brown cloth near the top of its' legs landed down near Vivian's set card, slamming its' paw on the ground as it snarled, bearing all of its' teeth, its' yellow eyes glaring at Lee's Dragon Fist.

KING TIGER WANGHU Earth/Beast/4/1700 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, all Monsters with an ATK equal to 1400 points or less that are Normal Summoned or Special Summoned are automatically destroyed.

Joey scratched his head and said "A tiger"  
"Well, tigers are well-known to be in China as well as India, Joey, so it might make sense if Vivian's Deck has an oriental feel to it..." T? replied.  
"So can you fill us in on what King Tiger Wanghu does then, T??" Tristan asked, looking over to his brunette female friend.

T? smiled. "I'd be glad to. Yugi told me about some of the cards in the game, guys, and this one is most interesting. While Wanghu's in play, whenever any Monster with an ATK of 1400 or less is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, they're destroyed immediately. A double-edged sword since it does effect your Monsters"  
Yugi nodded. "But Monsters that have 1500 or more ATK are safe from that kind of a destructive effect"  
Shuddering after hearing the effect of King Tiger Wanghu, Tristan sighed. "Man, that kind of a card would be nasty if used right."

"I'm guessing Vivian wants to make sure that Lee cannot use some of his weaker Monsters for defensive purposes and will draw him out to attack her so she can use a Trap Card to her advantage. That is why strategy can be so important in Duel Monsters, as is anticipation of what your opponent may do, and such. That is why I love this game! It's never the same twice!" Solomon grinned. Taro nodded, resting his arm on his grandfather's shoulder.

"I heard that, Grandpa!"

Vivian smiled, taking another card from her hand and showing it to Lee. "To continue my turn, I play the Magic Card, Ki-Ryu-Ten-Bu!"

KI-RYU-TEN-BUU Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Send up to 4 Dragon-Type Monsters from your Deck to the Graveyard to increase the ATK of 1 Monster on your side of the Field's ATK by 300 points x how many Dragon-Type Monsters were sent from your Deck to the Graveyard.

Joey pointed quickly once he saw Vivian playing Ki-Ryu-Ten-Buu. "I remember that card! Vivian used it vs. Atem in that situational Duel when she had Mr. Mutoh with her"  
"I do too!" T? nodded.  
"She's gonna power up Wanghu by sending Dragon-Type Monsters from her Deck to the Graveyard so it can destroy Dragon Fist!" Yugi added.

Pulling her Deck out, Vivian pulled out two Dragon-Type Monster Cards, showing Lee Blackland Fire Dragon and Winged Dragon - Guardian of the Fortress #1. "I will discard these 2 Dragons to the Graveyard to Ki-Ryu-Ten-Buu's effect, thus powering up the ATK of 1 Monster on my side of the Field by 300 points! And since Wanghu is my only face-up Monster on the Field, I will power it up by 600 points!"

BLACKLAND FIRE DRAGON Dark/Dragon/4/1500 ATK/800 DEF

WINGED DRAGON - GUARDIAN OF THE FORTRESS #1 Wind/Dragon/4/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

Slipping the two Dragon-Type Monsters into the Graveyard slot of her Duel Disk, Vivian's Tiger began to glow in red and blue, its' ATK increased to 2300 points. Vivian smiled happily, letting out a sweet tone in her voice. "Ohhhh, Wanghuuuuuu! Be a dear..." and with the next words, came a fierceness in her voice. "Attack Dragon Fist!!"

Wanghu charged forward at high speed, Vivian calling out the name of its' attack. "Imperial Fang!" And once at Dragon Fist, Wanghu leapt for its' neck, sinking its' fangs into its' neck, some blood splattering from the impact as Dragon Fist cried out, Wanghu then slashing its' claws along Dragon Fist's chest, kicking off to destroy it, exploding as Lee cried out, his LP dropped by 400 points to 3600 points.

"I now just end my Battle Phase." Vivian smiled as Lee exhaled and said "Trap Card, activate! Flat LV4"  
Tapping the row of buttons on his Duel Disk, Lee's set Trap Card flipped up, the card image of Flat LV4 showing Axe Raider, a Warrior-Type Monster and the number 4 in bold text with red as the color. The card itself began to glow, while Lee explained the effect. "With the effect of Flat LV4, Viv, when a Monster of mine is destroyed as a result of Battle, we both get to Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from our Decks"  
"Uh, I do know how it works, ya know..." Vivian replied, pulling her Deck. "But if you are humoring me, fine with me."

FLAT LV4 Normal Trap Card Effect: This card can only be activated when a Monster on your side of the Field has been destroyed as a result of Battle. Both players then Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from their respective Decks in Attack Mode.

Lee looked at her. "Viv-chan, I would NEVER humor you, and that's because I respect you too much! I will Special Summon Legendary Fighter Wu Shu with the effect of Flat LV4!" Kicking the air as he was Special Summoned, Wu Shu landed down, taking a fighting stance as Lee slapped his Deck into his Duel Disk then slammed his foot down and smiled.

"And with Flat LV4, I Special Summon... Kung Fu Nyan Nyan in Attack Mode!" And once more, another familiar Monster to Lee, Yugi, and the others appeared, as Kung Fu Nyan Nyan took her fighting stance, Vivian flipping up and then landing down on her feet, smiling when she began to speak. "And since it is still my turn, Lee, I will now go to Main Phase 2! I will flip up my face-down Monster, Master Kyonshee!"

A third familiar Monster appeared on the Field, Master Kyonshee's arms extended outward, its' hands bent down slightly, a groan coming from it. Lee blinked and thought 'Oh, crap!! Does Vivian...? Oh, man, oh, man, she's gotta have those in her hand! Why else would she have Special Summoned Kung Fu Nyan Nyan with the effect of Flat LV4?...'

"I am sure you know what is coming out!" Vivian smiled, pulling another Magic Card from her hand. "I now play The Valley of the Five Colors! And thanks to its' effect, I will Sacrifice Kung Fu Nyan Nyan and Master Kyonshee"  
A swirl of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple wrapped around the aforementioned Monsters as then, in a flash, they disappeared.

"What just happened...?" Taro blinked. "Vivian's lost two of her Monsters!... Someone tell me that this is bad or good"  
Yugi's eyes widened. "Uh-oh. She's gonna Special Summon her big gun now"  
"Big gun?" Taro asked. "Yuge, whaddya mean by big gun?"

Pulling her Deck out again, Vivian took one card from it, showing it to Lee. "I now Special Summon Dragon Lady in Attack Mode!"

As soon as Vivian said that, the five colors swirled back onto the Field, taking on the shape of a person... a woman to be exact. The colors continued to fade away, a smile appearing on the woman's face, with a golden headband with a dragon on the design, red hair, spiked up purple hair tied to what appeared the be a helmet, brown Chinese armor on her hips, shoulders, and chest, a yin-yang in the center of the chest armor, olive cloth along her wrists as well as the same colors of pants, brown boots, and in her hands, two large Chinese broadswords with 2 white sashes from both pads of armor flowing out, as well as a white one around her waist, slashing the air with her swords as she smiled, her legs together when she landed next to King Tiger Wanghu.

DRAGON LADY Light/Warrior/7/2500 ATK/2100 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only first be Special Summoned except by the effect of "The Valley of the 5 Colors". Once per turn, you can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field. If you use this effect, this card cannot attack this turn. You cannot summon any other Monsters during the turn that this card is successfully Special Summoned.

THE VALLEY OF THE FIVE COLORS Normal Magic Card Effect: Sacrifice a face-up "Master Kyonshee" and "Kung Fu Nyan Nyan" on your side of the Field to activate this card. Special Summon 1 "Dragon Lady" from your hand or Deck.

Smiling, Vivian looked at Lee. "Stare right into the face of your utter defeat, Lee! You know as well as I do how powerful Dragon Lady is and can be! And even if I can't attack with her yet, I will just blow away any Monsters of yours with her, and if I want, I can destroy 1 of your Magic or Trap Cards. Sorry to tell you this, doll... but you're beat. I end my turn."

Exhaling, Lee soon just smiled. "It's not over until it's over, Viv! And I don't plan to give in so easily. My turn. Draw!" Lee drew his next card, eyes closed for a minute, until he pulled the card close to him, opening his eyes to see he had drawn Fissure! He took the Magic Card, sliding it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "I play the Magic Card, Fissure!"

A crack in the earth itself shot forward, pulling Wanghu into it, destroying it. Letting out a sigh of relief, Lee took a Monster from his hand and said "I will now play Sumo Fist in Defense Mode!"

A sumo wrestler, one of the most unusual choices for a Martial Arts Deck, appeared, squatting down, with a black mawashi and a decorative sumo loincloth as well as white wrist tape and ankle tape, hair tied up in a traditional sumo fashion clapped his hands together, slamming his right foot onto the ground, letting out the traditional cry of a sumo about to go into battle. "Dosukoi!"

SUMO FIST Fire/Warrior/4/1000 ATK/2100 DEF

"Next, I will turn Wu Shu to Defense Mode... and then I end my turn." Wu Shu knelt down next to Sumo Fist, Lee wiping his brow a bit, as he and Vivian looked intently at one another, the wind gently blowing across the field, Vivian sliding the next card off the top of her Deck to draw. "My turn."

Looking at her hand, Vivian began to think out her plan of attack, and nodded, taking a Monster Card from her hand of 3, announcing her action. "I now summon Spear Dragon in Attack Mode"  
A blue dragon with the slight appearance of a pterodactyl, with two white horns along the back of its' head, red eyes, a long yellow beak with the same color of yellow along its' belly, wings, and near its' small feet, two claws protruding from its' wings and feet, as it roared, cracking its' long tail like a whip.

SPEAR DRAGON Wind/Dragon/4/1900 ATK/0 DEF Effect: If this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points. When this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Mode at the end of the Damage Step.

"Spear Dragon, attack Wu Shu with Spear Burst!" At the call of its' Duelist, Spear Dragon's mouth opened, a blast of blue, spiraling wind coming forth, blasting through Wu Shu like it was nothing. Vivian smiled before speaking. "As you know, Spear Dragon's effect allows me to damage your Life Points if the DEF of your Defense Mode Monster is weaker than Spear Dragon's ATK So you will lose 200 Life Points."

Lee nodded, his Life Point counter dropping his Life Points from 3600 to 3400, and with Spear Dragon's attack, it crossed its' wings over its' body, kneeling down. "And since Spear Dragon attacked, and it's the end of the Damage Step, it's turned to Defense Mode. Now I will attack again! Dragon Lady! Attack Sumo Fist!"

Sprinting forward, Dragon Lady slashed her right sword across Sumo Fist, easily destroying it, leaving Lee's side of the Field open. "And with that, I end my turn." Vivian smiled.

Lee nodded. "My turn... draw!" Drawing his next card, Lee looked to his card, he knew already what to do and played the card. "I play the Magic Card, Bravery of the Fist!" In a flash, a Monster Card came from Lee's Graveyard slot. Taking it, he slapped it onto the Duel Disk and said "I now Special Summon Dragon Fist back to the Field in Attack Mode!"

Appearing once again, Dragon Fist punched the air, landing down onto Lee's side of the Field. "Thanks to Bravery of the Fist, I can Special Summon 1 Monster with 'Fist' in its' card name to my side of the Field, and thus give myself some protection and much more. Next card I will play will be Pot of Greed."

Drawing two cards, Lee saw he had another copy of Bravery of the Fist, taking it and playing it. "I now play a second copy of Bravery of the Fist, and Special Summon Sumo Fist in Defense Mode"  
Sumo Fist appeared once again on the Field, clapping his hands together, giving Lee two Monsters now. Taking another card, Lee swiped the air, letting out a great cry. "I now Sacrifice my two Monsters"  
In a flash, Dragon Fist and Sumo Fist were gone as Lee slapped down his Monster of choice. "I now play Monkey Fist in Attack Mode!"

Monkey Fist flipped to the Field, landing down and slamming his hands on the ground. "Monkey Fist, attack Spear Dragon!"

With a hoot and a rush, Monkey Fist pulled his fist back, punching Spear Dragon, blowing it away easily due to its' base DEF of 0. Vivian soon cried out, as her Life Points dropped by 2500 points to 3100 as Monkey Fist slammed his feet down, pounding his chest and hooting. Lee chuckled then smiled. "I will now end my turn."

Yugi looked on at the Duel, very intrigued. "Well, this is getting interesting! Lee and Vivian now both have the same ATK, and their Life Points are both really close! I wonder whom is gonna make the first mistake though"  
"I dunno, Yuge..." Taro replied. "It's hard to decide..."

Vivian nodded. "My turn. Draw!" Drawing her next card, Vivian played the card she had drawn. "I now play the Equip Magic Card, Fuu-Rai-Ken! This will increase the ATK of a Warrior-Type Monster by 300 points, and allow it to attack twice in a row as long as its' ATK is cut in half." In place of one of her swords, Dragon Lady grabbed the Fuu-Rai-Ken, slashing the air with her ATK now increased to 2800 points. "Dragon Lady, attack Monkey Fist!"

Dragon Lady charged forward at high speed, her feet tapping the ground very steadily as she slashed downward, slashing Monkey Fist in half, and dropping Lee's Life Points to 3300 as Vivian smiled. "Now, Dragon Lady, attack his Life Points directly"  
Twisting carefully, Dragon Lady slashed across Lee's body, causing him to cry out, dropping his Life Points to 1900, as he began to paint, everyone else surprised by how much of a blow Vivian had given Lee, and how much of a change of pace the Duel had gone!

"I now end my turn. And soon, mister, you're gonna tell me what went on!" Vivian replied. "And if you do have a new girlfriend, I'll be glad to get rid of you so I can find someone else who can really appreciate me"  
Lee panted, wobbling a bit. "My turn... draw!" Lee drew his next card, still a bit woozy as he looked at his hand, seeing he had Moon Envoy, Light Shattering the Darkness, and Monster Reborn. He then looked at the card he had drawn, his eyes widened as he gasped.

'The Bonds of Trust and Love... I... remember this card...' Lee thought to himself.

Thinking back a few months ago, Lee was with Vivian in his house as he smiled. "OK, Vivian, close your eyes"  
Giggling, Vivian closed her eyes as Lee pulled out a Duel Monsters card, and placed it into Vivian's hand. "OK, open your eyes, and tell me what you think"  
Opening her eyes, Vivian looked at the card and said "The Bonds of Trust and Love"  
"Yeah. This Magic Card made me think of us, Vivian, so I want you to use it whenever you feel compelled to... to remember the bond we both have with one another. The bond of trust and love... at least I hope it's something we have"  
Kissing his cheek, Vivian smiled. "We do have it, Lee... that I promise."

Lee looked at his card still, thinking to himself. 'I remember later, before I left, Vivian gave me a copy of The Bonds of Trust and Love she had gotten, giving it to me so that I'd always have a piece of her with me... and that's why I always have it in my Deck, even if I never get around to using it. Now... I will prove my love to her by letting this be the finishing move!'

"I Normal Summon Moon Envoy in Attack Mode!" Lee cried out, slapping on of his smaller Level 4 Monsters onto his Duel Disk, Twirling his crescent pike when he was summoned, Moon Envoy gripped the handle, looking at Vivian's side of the Field. Lee next took Monster Reborn and showed it to Vivian. "Next, I play the Magic Card, Monster Reborn!"

In a explosion, Monkey Fist appeared onto the Field again next to Moon Envoy, as Lee took Light Shattering the Darkness and played it next. "And next, I will bring out my own big gun! Light Shattering the Darkness"  
Crying out, Moon Envoy leapt high into the air, a spiral of energy around his body as it exploded, transforming Moon Envoy into Dragon Man the Protector of the Great Wall, Lee pulling out Dragon Man's card and showing it to Vivian. "And from my Deck, I Special Summon Dragon Man in Attack Mode!"

Planting his feet on the ground, Dragon Man gripped his sword's handle, his body's glow fading as he stood still, his left fist clenched. "And now..." Lee closed his eyes and slid his only remaining card into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I play The Bonds of Trust and Love"  
Vivian's eyes became big, like disks, as everyone else watching was confused.

THE BONDS OF TRUST AND LOVE Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field and increase the ATK of the selected Monster by 1000 points times the number of face-up Monsters on your side of the Field. At the End Phase of the turn this card is activated, you lose Life Points equal to the base ATK of the selected Monster.

"With its' effect... I will select Dragon Man to gain a 1000 ATK increase x 2, putting him at 2000 more ATK... making his ATK 4800 points now, Vivian." Lee opened his eyes slowly.  
Vivian looked in shock still, stepping back some, shocked at Lee playing that particular Magic Card... also, she seemed to have a hurt expression on her face due to this shocking developement.

Taro blinked and said "Uhm... does anyone got any idea what the heck that does"  
"It's a most unusual and rare Magic Card, my boy." Solomon replied, stroking his beard. "The Bonds of Trust and Love can increase the ATK of 1 Monster on your side of the Field by 1000 points for every face-up Monster on the Field, but unfortunately, there's one big cost... I just wish I could remember what that cost is"  
Yugi looked on at the Duel still, blinking. "Why does Vivian look so hurt by Lee playing that card...? And... what the heck is Lee going to do now that he has a Monster with 4800 ATK on the Field"  
"Looks like he's gonna play through a big chunk of Vivian's Life Points is what it is!" Joey replied, grinning.

"I... I..." Lee exhaled, his hair over his eyes. "Vivian... this is going to prove my feelings for you are the same as when I left. You know the second effect of The Bonds of Trust and Love... I'm going to do it... so you can see I don't have some new girlfriend, because I don't want one. I... end my turn"  
Vivian gasped at this shocking developement, her eyes watering up. "Lee... that means that..."

"I will lose 2800 Life Points, but since I have 1900, that'll drop me to 0, and I will lose the Duel. But... if I can't prove to you that what I mean is true, then what kind of a man am I?" Lee explained, lifting his head up, a smile on his face as his Life Point counter went down to 0.

Vivian's Duel Disk closed to the offline position, while she walked over to Lee, Yugi, Joey, T?, Tristan, Taro, and Solomon all doing the same. "That was... a surprising move, Lee. Why didn't you go for the win? You coulda had the Duel won in a heartbeat by taking out much of Vivian's Life Points by attacking with Dragon Man then attacking with Monkey Fist." Joey asked, blinking.

"It wasn't what was important, Joey... to Lee, I think what mattered most was showing how much he cared for her. Why else would he have just let his Life Points drop to 0 instead of attacking immediately." Yugi smiled. "It's like when I gave up against Rebecca. To show her the respect that a Duelist should give his or her Monsters."

"I don't get it." Joey scratched his head, as Tristan sighed, shaking his head. "You can be so dense sometimes, Joey, that it's scary"  
"That was an honorable move, Lee.." Taro smiled.

"Thanks, guys." Soon, Vivian cleared her throat, Lee turning to look at her. She had her hands behind her back, and a slight blush on her cheeks, her eyes watering still. "Lee... I... I"  
"Vivian... it's OK." Smiled Lee, beginning to walk to her. "I do have something that was meant to be sent to you... but I didn't even know I still had it..." Putting his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the letter meant for her and handed it to her.

Taking it in her right hand, Vivian opened it, beginning to read the Cantonese the letter was written in. She continued to read the letter until she came to the last paragraph, then smiled, throwing her arms around Lee's neck, a smile across her face. "Oh, Lee-kun!! You are such a sweetheart!" And with that said, she began to rapidly kiss Lee's cheek, a chuckle from Lee, and Yugi, Joey, T?, Tristan, and Taro smiling, as Solomon sighed. "I do wish that was me..."

Yugi and Taro both looked at their grandpa, a sweatdrop appearing on the back of their heads, both speaking in unison. "Oh, Grandpa..."

A few days passed, with Yugi and Taro heading to Chenmen for lunch on a Sunday, both looking about until they saw a table and grabbed it. Looking around, Taro smiled. "Man, Lee must be working the woks today, Yuge! Look at how packed the place is! We're just lucky we could grab a seat"  
"I completely agree, Taro. But I do love this place, even when it's packed. Good food, and we support a friend at the same time." Yugi smiled.

"Can I help you guys?" A female voice spoke. Taro and Yugi were about to turn, both gasping when they saw Vivian, holding a few menus in her right hand.  
"Vivian! We thought you had headed home already!" said Yugi, the surprised look on his face still there as if it was new.

Giggling, Vivian smiled. "Nope. I had no money to get back home either, Yugi, so I decided to work here in the Chenmen as a waitress. Plus Lee and I are sharing an apartment until we can have enough saved to get back home. But that'll take months if you ask me, yet being here... OOHHHH, it's gonna be fun!"

Taro and Yugi both laughed at this, and smiled, taking their menus when Vivian handed them to the boys. It would seem for Yugi his group of friends continued to grow. And it would seem that he would need all the friends he could use. He had never had many friends as a younger man, so he was glad to have all the friends he did.

-To Be Continued...- 


	20. Chapter 20

Episode 20 - Challenge of Kite! The Red Eyes Black Dragon Deck!!

In his apartment, Joey was sorting through his cards, each of them placed into a neat little pile, as he smiled at all of his cards. Soon, he heard a knock on his door and said "Yeah"  
Jo'ken opened the door and said "Joe. What are you doing"  
"Sorting through my Deck, Dad. Can't be too sure with these Card Hunter guys on the loose, and..." Sniffing the air, Joey groaned and said "Ugh, what the hell is that, booze?!"

"Nope! I'm tryin' to cook, you ingrate!" Jo'ken replied, crossing his arms. "It just happens to be beef and potato stew"  
"God, Dad, it smells like somethin' died in here! You sure that's beef and potato stew!?"

Jo'ken twitched and then cracked his knuckles. "I'll teach you to mock my attempts at cookin'! C'mere!" Joey gulped and all that was heard were his screams of pain echoing throughout the night sky.

At school the next day, Joey was groaning, his face swollen up some. Walking into class, he then sat in his desk, groaning. Yugi smiled and waved. "Good morning, Joey!"

Joey groaned. "Leave me alone, Yugi... I ain't in the mood for chipperness right now..."

"What's up, man? Long night?" Yugi asked, blinking. "I mean, usually you aren't this bummed until the day is about over. You wanna talk about it?"

"Good mornin'!" Taro grinned, stepping into the room, walking over to Yugi and Joey. "Hey, uh, what's with Joey, Yuge? He looks down in the dumps... I mean, he doesn't even seem like he's budgin' at all."

Joey sighed, turning to Yugi and Taro, showing his black eye. "If you guys wanna know, my dad gave me a righteous butt-kicking last night just 'cause I had to go and insult his cooking. Jeez"  
Yugi and Taro both cried out at seeing Joey's black eye, blinking as Yugi chuckled. "It's, it's not that bad"  
"Dude, you should at least get ice on it!" Replied Taro, Yugi elbowing him in the ribs. Taro rubbed his side as Joey groaned, shaking his head.

Rumiko walked up and cackled a bit. "Oh ho ho ho! Well, it seems like Wheeler got into a fight with a bulldog and lost"  
"Not now, Rumiko. We don't need this kinda crap." Taro replied.  
Rumiko giggled. "Forgive me for intruding. It's just that there's someone in our little group who wants to Duel... with you!" Pointing her finger at Joey, Rumiko smiled.

"What? Me?" Joey blinked, pointing to himself.  
Rumiko nodded. "Uh-huh. He wants you to be at Domino City Park, tonight, around 8:00 or 20:00 if you got the guts. And knowing a simple guy like you, you will go head first into this."

Joey's left eye began to twitch as he said "Simple!? I resent that remark!!"

Rumiko giggled, then winked. "Right now, you resemble it since you are making an ass of yourself. Just remember... Domino Park, 8 o' clock. And if you wanna bring your friends, go for it. All of you are glued at the hip it would seem." Soon, she turned around, walking off.

Joey clenched his fist and said "What is up with everyone sayin' that"  
"Only Mai is the other person to say that, Joey, and you know that..." Yugi replied. "So... gonna go for it?"

"Of course! My pride as a Duelist will not allow me to unaccept this guy's challenge! Besides, I almost beat JorgИ into the mat so I can probably Duel circles around whoever this guy Rumiko mentioned is!" Grinned Joey, arms crossed over his chest.

Taro sighed, thinking to himself. 'Oh, yeah, Rumiko was right. Joey IS way too simple... it's not that easy really. I do wonder the same thing about the Card Hunter Rumiko mentioned..."

Kite had his eyes closed as he sat down near the door, as Rumiko began to come out. "So, did he accept"  
"Yep. It sure seems like he did, Kite." Rumiko smiled. "Nervous about facing this guy? I mean, he did almost beat JorgИ, and he was 2nd in Duelist Kingdom.."

"I wil be just fine, Rumiko." Kite smiled, standing up. "Besides... it'll be interesting to see what kind of Duelist he really is."

Later in the evening, Joey stood with his Duel Disk on his right arm, wearing a dark blue jean jacket, a white t-shirt under it, with what appeared to be a dog tag down on his chest, as well as dark blue jeans and black, white, and yellow sneakers. He looked about the park, walking carefully, as Yugi, Taro, TИa, and Tristan walked right behind him.

TИa looked about and said "Man, the park is so creepy at night... I wonder why Rumiko said that her fellow Card Hunter wanted to meet here at the park"  
"C'mon, TИa! The park is a beautiful place, even if it's so eerie at night time." Taro replied, before looking up at the sky and smiling. "Check it out. Full moon. Ya know, they say there's a man in the moon"  
"Taro, now's not the time to be commenting on things like that, dude!" Tristan replied.

"Oh, this coming from the dork who suggested once I pee off a railing." TИa replied.  
Yugi soon raised his index finger and said "Guys, keep it down! We don't know who or what we're gonna be seeing here..." But before Yugi could finish, he looked up to see someone sitting on a tree branch.

Kite just smiled, exhaling as he was star-gazing. He stood up and said "Hey, you guys are late. But then again, Rumiko said you might be. It happens. No worires." Kite leapt down, landing on the ground, smiling as he held his Duel Disk up.

"So, you're the guy I'm gonna beat tonight, huh? But I just gotta ask... of all the places in Domino City to meet at, why choose the park? I mean, it's kinda boring..."

"Hmph! Maybe to you, but I find stargazing to be so relaxing. I used to get a great view of it in Arizona, where I lived. That's why I chose the starlit park, to make the most of this clear night. So you came all the way to Duel a Card Hunter, Joey Wheeler. I want to see what kind of connection you have with your Red Eyes Black Dragon." Closing his eyes, Kite slashed the air with his right wrist, his Duel Disk locking into position.

"OK, but don't say I didn't warn you." Joey smiled, flicking his own Duel Disk into the ready position. Both Duelists pulled their Decks out and slapped them into their Duel Disks, their LP counters reaching 4000 as both said "Duel!"

Kite and Joey both drew their first five cards, as Kite smiled. "I'll get us started if you don't mind. My draw!" Kite drew his sixth card, looking over his hand. He soon took a card from his hand and said "I play Masked Dragon in Defense Mode"  
With its' Duel Monsters card underneath its' body, Masked Dragon crouched down, its' wings folded down, as its' tail came around front, with it letting out a roar.

"Next..." Kite took a card and slid it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, a large Duel Monsters card materializing behind Masked Dragon. "I will set a card face-down. Turn end. C'mon. Don't disappoint! Let's see what you got"  
"With pleasure!" Joey drew his sixth card and smiled. "I play Alligator's Sword in Attack Mode!"

Appearing onto the Field with a green colored lizard-like man, with a curved sword in its' hand, as well as yellow showing along its' chest, neck, and jaw, as well as its' arms, spikes protruding from its' elbows, and white kind of intends on its' knuckles. Alligator's Sword also had black and red armor on its' shoulders, head, chest, and part of its' waist. It slashed the air and smiled as it landed in front of Joey.

ALLIGATOR'S SWORD Earth/Beast/4/1500 ATK/1200 DEF

"Alligator's Sword! Attack Masked Dragon!" Joey cried out. Alligator's Sword leapt into the air, gripping its' sword's handle in both hands, slashing downward, destroying Masked Dragon, creating a big explosion. Kite smiled and said "Now I will use Masked Dragon's effect. Thanks for destroying it for me."

Kite pulled his Deck out as Taro said "Oh, yeah, when Masked Dragon's destroyed as a result of battle, its' controller can Special Summon 1 Dragon-Type Monster from his/her Deck with an ATK of 1500 or less. I kinda wonder what Kite's gonna Special Summon... I mean, it could be anything"  
"I don't know, Taro. But... look! He's going for it!"

Kite took his card of choice and smiled. "I Special Summon Red Eyes Black Chick in Attack Mode!" When Kite slapped his card of choice onto his Monster Card Zone, a red egg appeared onto the Field, breaking open to show a smaller Red Eyes Black Dragon... as if it were just a baby, and it was. Red Eyes Black Chick chirped softly as it floated down onto the ground.

RED EYES BLACK CHICK Dark/Dragon/1/800 ATK/500 DEF Effect: Send this face-up card on your side of the Field to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Red Eyes Black Dragon" from your hand.

"OK... he just summoned a mini-Red Eyes..." Joey blinked, then grinned. "No biggie! It's just got 800 ATK! What can it do"  
Tristan looked over and said "Guys, I got a bad feeling about that card. Even if the Red Eyes Black Chick looks like a mini-Red Eyes... I can tell it's gotta have some kind of an effect"  
"Me too. I just wish I remembered what it was!" Taro replied.  
TИa looked at Kite's Monster and said "It looks like you could Special Summon a Red Eyes Black Dragon somehow with it."

Taro snapped his fingers. "That WAS it"  
"It was?" TИa blinked"  
"Yep!" Taro grinned, then blinked. "Hoo-boy... Joey doesn't know... or does he"  
Yugi looked over at Joey, who was just grinning, a sweatdrop on the back of his head. "Nope... he doesn't, I'm sure..."

Joey smiled and said "I'll end my turn"  
"My turn. Draw." Kite drew his next card, looking over his hand as he saw it. 'Good. He doesn't know the effect. I'll give him a demonstration.'

Taking a card from his hand, its' back to Joey, Kite said "I will now activate Red Eyes Black Chick's effect, sending it to the Graveyard!" Taking his hand which had the card he had inbetween his fingers, he slid Red Eyes Black Chick's card to the Graveyard, and once he was done, he slapped down his card onto his Duel Disk's Monster Zone. "And with Red Eyes Black Chick sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand to the Field! And here it is!"

Joey's eyes widened, a shocked tone in his voice. "Did you say...!?"

In a flash of fire, Red Eyes Black Chick cried out, the fire surrounding it, until the fire broke apart, revealing Red Eyes Black Dragon, floating up above the ground some before it landed down onto the ground, Kite looking at him. "Shocked, I take it? You didn't think you were the only one in the world who had a Red Eyes Black Dragon, did you? We know you didn't techncially 'own' Red Eyes to begin with. You just won it off Rex Raptor during Duelist Kingdom."

"Hey, how do you know that?" Joey blinked.  
"We know a lot. But I've spoken too much. Besides, this card means a lot to me..." Kite looked at his Red Eyes Black Dragon, smiling. "I have a strong bond with it..."

Thinking back, Kite remembered when he was in Arizona, his home before he had come to Japan. He remembered his mother's words... and his own...

"Mom, I know this is going to seem odd, but after that tournament today, I was given an offer to go to Japan to do some work there. I don't know all the details, but it will pay 10,000 for services! I can be able to help you out even more so than I could before"  
"Kite, my dear, are you sure it's what you want"  
"Yeah! I wanna be able to help you keep our heritage alive"  
"Kite... it seems our family name of Northwind is fitting, since the wind seems to be calling you to Japan. Go, and please... remember whatever you do, the good outweighs the bad."

Kite smiled at his Red Eyes Black Dragon, and looked over at Joey. "Someone like you could never understand my intentions! Now..." Kite took another card from his hand and showed it to Joey. "I play the Magic Card, Inferno Fire Blast! This card will inflict damage to your Life Points equal to Red Eyes' base attack, which is 2400. But, I won't be able to attack with Red Eyes this turn, but it's a small price to deal some good damage."

Red Eyes Black Dragon's mouth began to glow, as if it were performing its' attack, as it shot a stream of fire forward at Joey, smothering him in the black flames of Red Eyes's Inferno Fire Blast. Joey screamed out in pain, panting heavily, his LP dropped to 1600 points... wobbling some as he looked over at Kite, blinking in surprise. He coughed a bit, but smiled.

INFERNO FIRE BLAST Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 1 face-up "Red Eyes Black Dragon" on your side of the Field to activate this card. Inflict Direct Damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the original ATK of the selected "Red Eyes Black Dragon". "Red Eyes Black Dragon" cannot attack during the turn you use this card.

"Since Red Eyes can't attack this turn, I think I will just set a card face-down and end my turn." Kite smiled, a Duel Monsters card materializing right behind Red Eyes Black Dragon.

'He's good. Managing to get 2400 points on Joey without even needing to attack his Alligator's Sword. Something tells me Kite is different from the others... yet... he's up to something. Joey better keep a cool head here, or else he's going to lose...' Yugi thought to himself, looking over at the Duel.

Joey exhaled. "My turn." He drew his next card, seeing he had Reasoning, one of his gamble based Magic Cards. He closed his eyes, thinking what he should do. He smiled and opened his eyes. "Time for a little game, Kite. A game of guessing. I play the Magic Card, Reasoning!" In a flash, Joey's Magic Card appeared onto the Field, showing the image of an Egyptian gambler of sorts with a beard pointing his left index finger forward, 3 Duel Monsters cards on a glass table in front of him, his right hand holding a pipe, as well as 3 Duel Monsters cards floating in front of him it seemed.

REASONING Normal Magic Card Effect: Your opponent declares a Monster Level. Then pick up cards from the top of your Deck until a Monster that can be Normal Summoned is picked up. If that Monster is the same Level as the one declared by your opponent, send all picked up cards to the Graveyard. If not, Special Summon the picked up Monster and send the remaining cards to the Graveyard.

"OK, the way Reasoning works is you call a Level. I'll pick up cards from my Deck until I get a Monster that can be Normal Summoned. If the Level is the same as you called, I got to send it and anything else I pick up to the Graveyard. But if not, I get to Special Summon my Monster, then send my remaining cards I picked up to the Graveyard. So... what Level do you wanna call?"

"Alright." Kite rubbed his chin. "Level 4 will be my call"  
Joey smiled. "Here I go!" Picking up the first card from the top of his Deck, Joey closed his eyes, before opening them to see he got Avatar of the Pot! 'Lucky'  
He turned his card and showed it to Kite. "Avatar of the Pot is a Monster of mine that can be Normal Summoned, so I'll now Special Summon him!"

In a flash of light, a large green muscular creature with golden bands around its' wrists and ankles, as well as gold around its' waist with a red and dark blue sash in front appeared next to Alligator's Sword. The most unusual and noteworthy feature to Avatar of the Pot had to be his head! It was in fact... a giant version of Pot of Greed, with the infamous grin Pot of Greed was known for.

AVATAR OF THE POT Earth/Rock/3/1200 ATK/1300 DEF Effect: Send 1 "Pot of Greed" from your hand to the Graveyard to draw 3 cards from your Deck.

"What the heck is that thing!? It's like the Magic Card Pot of Greed grew arms and legs!" TИa replied, blinking in shock.  
Taro smiled and chuckled. "Whoa-ho-ho! Avatar of the Pot! Dudes, I've heard of this card!"

"Me too." Yugi smiled. "If Joey can send a copy of Pot of Greed in his hand to the Graveyard, he can draw 3 cards when Avatar of the Pot is face-up on the Field. See, since Pot of Greed is such a staple of a Magic Card, Industrial Illusions experimented with 2 cards. Avatar of the Pot and Spirit of the Pot of Greed. Avatar of the Pot has you discard Pot of Greed to get 3 cards, but with Spirit of the Pot of Greed, when it's in Attack Mode, anyone who plays Pot of Greed will get to draw 1 more card."

"Sounds like they are cool cards.'" TИa smiled. "Are they hard to run"  
Yugi nodded. "Since they have some low stats, they can be easily taken out and sometimes you won't get Pot of Greed when you have them in play. It's the reason why they wouldn't be restricted. But they can help if used right"  
Tristan nodded. "Makes sense. Never easy to work with some cards."

Joey smiled and said "Now I'll invoke Avatar of the Pot's effect, sending my copy of Pot of Greed to the Graveyard to draw 3 cards!" Taking Pot of Greed from his hand, Joey slid it into his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot. With that done, Avatar of the Pot grasped its' head, sliding it off as it then began to dig inside the Pot of Greed, holding up 3 cards which began to glow. Joey then drew 3 cards from his Deck, looking at what he drew, seeing he had Angel's Dice, Red Eyes Black Dragon, and Baby Dragon. 7 cards now... and he knew what he had to do.

"Now, I'll Sacrifice Alligator's Sword and Avatar of the Pot to a Sacrifice Summon!" Joey cried out, Avatar of the Pot and Allgator's Sword disappearing in a flash of light, as Joey took Red Eyes Black Dragon and slapped it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I play Red Eyes Black Dragon in Attack Mode!"

Roaring loudly, Joey's own Red Eyes Black Dragon floated down, glaring at Kite's Red Eyes Black Dragon, which began to glare right back. Taro whistled and grinned. "Two Red Eyes Black Dragons! This is so awesome! I can't believe we're seein' two really rare cards! Man... I wish I had a camera!"

Kite smiled. "So you're bringing out yours out too? Even if you know if you attack, we both lose our Red Eyes Black Dragons. But I guess you want to make things more interesting"  
"I'm not going to lose my Red Eyes! I play the Magic Card, Angel's Dice! I can roll 1 six-sided dice, and I can increase the ATK and DEF of my Monsters by 100 points x the number of my dice! So let it roll!"

ANGEL'S DICE (English Name: Graceful Dice)  
Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Roll 1 six-sided dice. Increase the ATK and DEF of all face-up Monsters on yur side of the Field by 100 points x the result of the dice roll.

The small angel-like creature featured on Angel's Dice materialized onto the Field, flicking the blue six-sided dice in its' hands, everyone watching the Duel looking in surprise as the dice began to bounce forward, until it began to spin, landing on two. Joey grinned and said "Awright! 200+ ATK/DEF boost for Red Eyes, putting him at 2600/2200!"

Red Eyes began to glow as it roared. "Red Eyes! Attack... boy, I never thought I was gonna say this... Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey's Red Eyes' eyes began to glow as its' mouth also began to glow. "Inferno Fire Blast!" Red Eyes Black Dragon then fired its' Inferno Fire Blast, which smothered Kite's own Red Eyes Black Dragon in its' flames, causing it to roar loudly, until it exploded, Kite's LP dropped to 3800 points.

"So for my next move, I will set two cards and I end my turn! Looks like you aren't so big after all"  
Kite scoffed. "Don't underestimate my Deck. And trust me, the bond of my Red Eyes Black Dragon and I is strong as anything in the material world or the spiritual. In our home, the Cherokee believe that the spirits and the living can co-exist together, and I take this philosophy for my Deck." Soon enough, appearing behind Kite, was a Red Eyes Black Dragon, however, it was transparent. Yugi looked in surprise, being the only one who could see it.

Suddenly, Yugi's Deck began to glow inside of his Deck holder, with Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 hopping onto Yugi's shoulder. "Yugi... that guy your friend's fightin'... he's got a strong power... a very strong one. I'm gettin' the feelin' of a strong bond to our world."

"Yeah..." Yugi spoke softly. "I noticed it too when I saw that Red Eyes Black Dragon behind him, Horus. It's as if... Kite is holding off for a bit... he wants something"  
"I agree." Horus replied.

Joey smiled and said "C'mon! Let's go then, Kite"  
"With pleasure." Kite drew his next card, and looked at it, as he said "First things first, set card number 1, activate! Soul Ressurection!" Kite's face-down card flipped face-up, with a flash of light overcoming the Field, and there was Kite's Red Eyes Black Dragon, back onto the Field, but its' card was horizontal, as if it was in Defense Mode, its' arms across its' chest, while it was kneeling down.

"Soul Ressurection lets me Special Summon 1 Normal Monster of mine onto the Field in Defense Mode but if it is removed from the Field or if destroyed, my Monster is destroyed too. And vice versa about my Monster being destroyed. Red Eyes may not be able to handle an attack from itself with 2000 DEF, but trust me, I can work with it."

SOUL RESSURECTION Continuous Trap Card Effect: Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from your Graveyard in Defense Mode. When this card is removed from the Field, the Monster is destroyed. When the Monster is destroyed, this card is also destroyed.

"But... I'm not done yet. Second set card, activate. Metalmorph"  
In a flash, Kite's Red Eyes Black Dragon's black body began to take on a reflective metal-like look, its' ATK and DEF increased to 2700/2300. "Now it's time to really get things moving! I now Sacrifice my Red Eyes Black Dragon equipped with Metalmorph in order to Special Summon one of my Red Eyes Black Dragon's various forms"  
The earth itself crackled above Red Eyes Black Dragon, disappearing until Kite slapped a card down onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone.

"Come out! Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon"  
And in Red Eyes Black Dragon's place was a metallic silver version of Red Eyes Black Dragon, which roared loudly, slashing the air with its' sharper claws, bearing its' teeth.

RED EYES BLACK METAL DRAGON Dark/Machine/8/2800 ATK/2400 DEF Effect: This Monster cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except from your Deck and by Sacrificing a "Red Eyes Black Dragon" equipped with "Metalmorph" on your side of the Field.

"Even if Red Eyes Black Dragon itself cannot be very strong, in its' various forms, with its' various supportive cards, it can be a devastating force. You've begun to tap into its' potential, Joey, but my bond with my Red Eyes is strong enough for me to tap into all of its' potential." Kite replied.

"You think you're so great, huh?" Joey scoffed. "If you ask me, whatever makes you think you're better than me is petty"

Kite closed his eyes and nodded. "I see. You're arrogant to thinking I can be a 'good person' because I'm a Card Hunter, a person with the label of a 'bad guy' on them. It figures"  
"Hm..? Whaddya talkin' about?" Joey blinked in surprise at what Kite said.

Kite opened his eyes and looked to Joey, determination in his eyes and in his heart. But Joey... at this time... couldn't see that.

"What I mean is that you cannot see the truth to most people because you are too much like the Nameless Pharaoh. The Card Hunters know more than you let on. We've planned for years, watching you for the months during Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, and so much more. When you Dueled Rex, you talked about how you kept standing up from defeat, and how you called Rex Raptor a weak Duelist for siding with Doma. If you ask me..." Kite thrusted his right index finger at Joey, his middle and ring fingers with his pinky holding his cards that were in his hand. "It's YOU who's the weak Duelist! At least, weak in your heart!"

"Weak..." Joey spoke softly, a shocked expression on his face. "In my heart"  
"Yeah. So, prove to me you are a 'strong Duelist' by beating me!" Kite said. "Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon, attack Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon flapped its' wings, flying above Red Eyes Black Dragon, its' mouth beginning to glow a red-hot dark red as Kite cried out. "FLASH FLARE BLAST!!"

And a fireball of black and red spiralled downward towards Red Eyes Black Dragon. With the impact of the attack, Joey cried out, watching as Red Eyes Black Dragon's body crumbled to nothing, as it was gone, Joey's Life Points decreased by 400 points to 1200.

Joey groaned a bit, shaking himself off as Yugi said "Could Kite be right?"

"Well, Joey DID say that, Yugi. Rex had told him how he felt that he and Atem ruined his and Weevil's careers as Duelists and how things had gone downhill for them..." Tristan replied. "But Rex retorted after Joey told him all that, saying it was all true, but that guys like him had tried what he had done, working up from defeat to get stronger, but they couldn't do it... and the way Joey is playing right now, maybe Kite is right just a bit..."

Yugi blinked and closed his eyes, feeling something... a kind of warmth when he felt Kite and opened his eyes. "Kite DOES have some good in his heart!"

TИa looked over at Yugi, blinking in surprise. "How can you tell, Yugi"  
Resting his hand over his heart, Horus still transparent and floating beside Yugi, Yugi smiled softly. "I just could feel it with my heart, TИa. I closed my eyes, concentrated, and felt some kind of warmth in his heart."

Taro blinked and scratched his head. "Well, Yuge, that's wild, even for you, man. But... your kindness is something that is great about you"  
Yugi smiled, blushing a bit, as he then looked back at the Duel, everyone else doing the same.

Kite looked at Joey and said "Can you still prove it at this point? Prove your bond with your Red Eyes is as strong as mine? I want to see this." Taking a card from his hand, Kite slid it into his Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

'I...' Joey groaned, clenching his hand of cards tightly. 'I can't lose! I refuse to lose to this guy! Atem wouldn't have lost, and he was definitely a True Duelist! If I'm gonna be a True Duelist too, I gotta be what he would be! And he wouldn't have lost or let this guy walk all over him!'

"My turn!" Joey gritted his teeth, and drew his next card. "DRAW!!" Kite looked at Joey, seeing the serious expression on Joey's face as he drew his next card, gritting his teeth still as he glared at Kite. To Joey, this Duel wasn't over yet... but... who knew if he could keep his cool until the Duel was done.

-To Be Continued...- 


	21. Chapter 21

Episode 21 - The Greatest Form of Red Eyes! Red Eyes Darkness Dragon is Born!

Joey looked at his next card, and simply nodded. "I play Blue Flame Swordsman in Defense Mode!" Appearing in a flash, Blue Flame Swordsman knelt down on the ground, his sword gripped in both hands as he exhaled. "I will next set one card... turn end."

A Duel Monsters card flashed behind Joey's Blue Flame Swordsman as he exhaled, eyes closed, opening them as he got serious.

"My turn. Draw." Kite drew his next card, taking another Monster card and said "I will play another Masked Dragon in Defense Mode." Next to Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon, Masked Dragon appeared, kneeling down as it snapped its' teeth right at Joey as Kite smiled, thrusting his hand forward. "Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon! Attack Blue Flame Swordsman!"

Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon's mouth began to glow brightly as it then fired its' Flash Flare Blast, destroying Blue Flame Swordsman. Joey smiled and said "Thanks to you destroying Blue Flame Swordsman, I can invoke its' effect to Special Summon one of my old school Monsters!"

Joey pulled out his Deck, shuffling through it as he grinned, and slapped Flame Swordsman onto his Duel Disk. "Now I summon Flame Swordsman in Attack Mode! Special Summon!"

In a flash of red fire, A warrior much like Blue Flame Swordsman appeared, only his was a dark blue suit covering his arms, legs, and body, as well as a red sash down near his legs, holding a sword with "Fire" on it as well as two blades protruding from his shoulder armor as he slashed the air.

FLAME SWORDSMAN Fire/Warrior/5/1800 ATK/1600 DEF

"Well, I'll next set a card of my own face-down and end my turn." Kite smiled softly, his set card appearing right behind Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon as he ended his turn.

"My turn." Joey drew his next card, looking at it, as he exhaled, and said "I'll start by having Flame Swordsman attack Masked Dragon!"

Flame Swordsman grippped his sword, charging forward, Joey cried out Flame Swordsman's attack. "Burning Sword of Battle!" With a loud cry, one of Joey's favorite Monsters leapt into the air, slashing downward, spliting Masked Dragon in half, causing it to explode in a burst of flames. Kite smiled, pulling his Deck out as he shuffled through it and said "I now can Special Summon a Dragon from my Deck with an ATK of 1500 or less! And I Special Summon this! Winged Dragon - Guardian of the Fortress #1 in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, in Masked Dragon's place, a blue colored dragon with a long tail, small blue wings, claws along the top of them, teeth showing, and spines along its' back, as it snorted from its' rounded snout, appeared roaring. Yugi recognized Winged Dragon - Guardian of the Fortress #1 because he also used it in his Deck for some simple attack. And yet... he was confused as to why Kite had some weak Monsters in place... was it part of a ploy? Or was there something more...?

WINGED DRAGON, GUARDIAN OF THE FORTRESS #1 Wind/Dragon/4/1400 ATK/1200 DEF

"Well, to be honest, I'm not impressed so far, Kite. I guess you were wrong about me, loser!" Joey smiled. "Turn end!"

Kite closed his eyes and said "My turn. Draw." Kite drew his next card and opened his eyes as he said "I summon Troop Dragon in Attack Mode!"

A smaller dragon than Winged Dragon appeared next to it, gripping a sword in its' left hand, a shield along its' right as it looked at Joey with red eyes, its' wings spread out as it also had on armor, as if it was ready for battle. And slashing the air, Troop Dragon definitely looked the part.

TROOP DRAGON Wind/Dragon/2/700 ATK/800 DEF Effect: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, take 1 "Troop Dragon" from your Deck and Special Summon it to the Field in face-up Attack or Defense Mode. The Deck is then shuffled.

"First things first! Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon! Attack Flame Swordsman!" Charging its' attack, soon enough, REBMD fired its' attack outward like a bullet, smashing Flame Swordsman and destroying him, dropping Joey's Life Points to 200. One more attack and it was over!

"Now to finish this. Troop Dragon! Direct Attack!" Troop Dragon charged forward, leaping into the air as it cried out. Joey then said "Don't think so! Quickplay Magic Card! Scapegoat!" In a flash, the four Sheep Tokens appeared onto Joey's side of the Field, as Troop Dragon slashed the blue Sheep Token right in half, as Joey exhaled, his Life Points safe.

"So, you still have some fighting spirit. I am impressed. Winged Dragon, attack another Sheep Token!" Winged Dragon heard Kite's command and flapped its' wings, shooting right at the pink Sheep Token as Joey said "Trap Card, activate! Vow of Tribe! When this card is activated, if both of us have the same amount of Monsters, the Battle Phase can't be conducted, and since you have 3, and I have 3, that means... say buh-bye to the rest of your Battle Phase!"

VOW OF TRIBE Normal Trap Card Effect: During the turn this card is activated, if both players have the same number of Monsters on their side of the Field, the Battle Phase cannot be conducted.  
Suddenly, Winged Dragon stopped in mid-flight, then landed down between Troop Dragon and Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon as Kite clapped his hands. "You have some courage to keep going even if you know you may lose. But, it happens, I suppose. A lucky draw on your part. Bravo indeed. Turn end."

Joey exhaled. "My turn. Draw." Joey looked at the card he had drawn and held it up. "I now play Token Thanksgiving! This Magic Card destroys all Tokens on the Field and I gain 800 Life Points for each of them. 3 x 800 2400 Life Points."

In a flash, Joey's Sheep Tokens exploded, as his Life Point counter went up from 200 to 2600 as he smiled and said "Now I will set Landostar Swordsman in Defense Mode."

TOKEN THANKSGIVING Normal Magic Card Effect: Destroy all Tokens on the Field. Increase your Life points by the number of Tokens destroyed x 800 points.

Appearing on Joey's side of the Field, kneeling down, a small cute fairy-like Monster with a maroon set of armor, a small sword in his left hand, a small shield in the right with a fairy-like expression on it, as well as the same kind of boots took to the Field

LANDOSTAR SWORDSMAN (English Name: Swordsman of Landstar)  
Earth/Warrior/3/500 ATK/1200 DEF

"And then I set one last card face-down and end my turn." Joey exhaled, shaking a bit.

Kite closed his eyes and said "My turn." He drew his next card, then opened his eyes to gaze upon his drawn card. Looking at it, the Card Hunter saw he had drawn one of his most cherished cards... Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, Red Eyes in its' ultimate form.

Red Eyes Darkness Dragon was beautiful, but frightening at the same time. It had 2 wings, 3 bladed shapes for both, red gems along the top blade, spikes jetting from its' shoulders and back, as well as having 2 gems along its' upper leg, its' chest, and forehead, as well as yellow markers along its' legs, wings, chest, neck, and under its' eyes. Kite knew he needed a Red Eyes Black Dragon to Special Summon Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, and he remembered how many Dragon-Type Monsters he had in his Graveyard to use its' effect; 2 Masked Dragons, Red Eyes Black Chick, Red Eyes Black Dragon, and that was it. He also noticed Pot of Greed and Dark Hole. Nodding, Kite said "I will play the Magic Card, Dark Hole, destroying all of our Monsters!"

A giant black hole circled all over the Field, sucking in all Monsters on the Field as Kite exhaled, and then played his next card. "Now I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed"  
The card image of Pot of Greed appeared, then exploded, as Kite drew two cards, getting Red Eyes Black Dragon and Red Eyes Black Chick. He nodded and said "Now I summon my second Red Eyes Black Chick in Attack Mode."

In a flash of fire, another Red Eyes Black Chick appeared, squwaking as it landed in front of Kite. "Now I will send Red Eyes Black Chick to my Graveyard to Special Summon Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"

Once more, like before, fire blasted around Red Eyes Black Chick, its' shadow in the flames growing in size, and soon enough, the flames exploded, and Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared again!

"Now... it's time to end this. I sacrifice Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Red Eyes Black Dragon cried out as a fiery dragon shot up into the air, smashing down around it as Red Eyes' body began to change into the same form as Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, with Kite smiling. "This is Red Eyes Black Dragon's ultimate form, Joey. Red Eyes... show your true form! Break the flames surrounding yourself! Show your true form!"

Soon, the flames broke, and in Red Eyes Black Dragon's place, there was Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, which let out a roar as it floated down to the ground slowly, Kite smiling. "Red Eyes Darkness Dragon starts first with Red Eyes's original stats of 2400 ATK and 2000 DEF, but thanks to the Dragon-Type Monsters in my Graveyard, its' ATK is increased by 300 points. I have Masked Dragon, Masked Dragon, Red Eyes Black Chick, Red Eyes Black Chick, Red Eyes Black Dragon, Red Eyes Black Dragon, Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1, and finally, Troop Dragon. That's 8 Dragons. That's an additional 2400 ATK."

Red Eyes Darkness Dragon's body began to glow, its' ATK increasing from 2400 to 4800, as it opened its' mouth, a kind of black mist seething out of it. Joey gulped and thought 'Holy crap! Who knew that Red Eyes Black Dragon had such potential...!! This guy must run a whole Deck around it! No wonder he had two copies of it! If my Trap Card doesn't work... I don't know what will...!!'

RED EYES DARKNESS DRAGON Dark/Dragon/9/2400 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Sacrificing a "Red Eyes Black Dragon" on your side of the Field. The ATK of this card is increased by 300 points for every Dragon-Type Monster that is in your Graveyard.

"Now... it's time to end this Duel! Red Eyes Darkness Dragon!! Attack his Life Points direclty!" At Kite's command, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon's body began to crackle with the same kind of black mist that seethed from its' mouth, but this one surrounded its' body as it began to glow. "Darkness Giga Flare!!"

Red Eyes Darkness Dragon's blast of fire hurtled towards Joey as Joey gritted his teeth and tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Trap Card, activate! Compensation of Arbitration!" At the call of Joey's Trap Card, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon's attack stopped before it connected, with Joey wiping his brow, then clenching his hands as he knew he had one last chance... and that was his luck!

COMPENSATION MEDIATION Normal Trap Card Effect: When this card is activated, your opponent chooses 2 cards in his/her Graveyard and is given this card. Your opponent then sets down this card and the 2 chosen cards and shuffles them. You then choose 1 of the 3 cards. If the chosen card is "Compensation of Arbitration", end the current turn's Battle Phase and your opponent places the chosen cards on the top of his/her Deck. If another card other than "Comenpsation of Arbitration" is chosen, place the card you pick and "Compensation of Arbitration" into their respective owners' Graveyards, and place the remaining card on top of your opponent's Deck.

"OK, Kite, select 2 cards in your Graveyard, and then you get Compensation Mediation. You set them down and shuffle 'em! Got it?"

"I got it." Kite replied, selecting his two cards, holding up Inferno Fire Blast and Pot of Greed. Joey grabbed Compensation Mediation, twirling it as he then flicked the card to Kite. Kite grabbed the card, setting all 3 selected cards face-down, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon disappearing as Kite said "Now what?"

"Simple. I choose one of those 3 cards, and if I get Compensation Mediation, your Battle Phase ends, and you place the two cards on top of your Deck that you got from your Graveyard. But... if I get it wrong, and it's one of your cards, the chosen card and Compensation of Arbitration go to the Graveyard, you place the remaining card on top of your Deck, and your Battle Phase continues."

Kite nodded. "Very interesting..."

Taro gulped and said "Man... this is a big gamble... if Joey calls it wrong, he loses. And even if he does, his opponent is gonna get his two chosen cards back on top of his Deck... that makes this a difficult task. Is his luck that good...?"

"It's been an asset and a curse to him, Taro." Yugi replied. "I think he can do it... it's just gonna be a tense moment."

Tristan nodded. "Yeah... I am so nervous now... this is gonna be bad..."

"Yeah, if he calls it wrong..." T? replied. "Let's hope we can keep our fingers crossed he can do well"  
Joey looked at the cards, exhaling as he said "I pick... the middle card!!"

The middle card slowly lifted upward, then revealed... Inferno Fire Blast! Joey gulped as Kite smiled and said "Thank you...", taking Inferno Fire Blast, sliding it into his Graveyard, as he flicked Compensation Mediation to Joey, who caught it, sliding it into his Graveyard slot, as Kite smiled, Red Eyes Darkness Dragon returning to the Field, as Kite said "Red Eyes Darkness Dragon! Direct Attack!"

Red Eyes Darkness Dragon's body began to glow once more, as it opened its' mouth, its' fire spiralling at Joey as Joey's eyes widened, the attack smashing him hard as his Life Point counter dropped from 2600 to 0, while he wobbled, smoke rising from his body as Kite stood there, eyes closed, then looked at his Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, smiling. "Thank you, Red Eyes."

Red Eyes Darkness Dragon disappeared as Kite's Duel Disk turned off, with him taking his card off of his Duel Disk as he looked at his right arm, seeing... a tattoo that was like the design of Red Eyes Darkness Dragon's head. He looked at Joey and said "Thank you for the Duel. You are strong as a Duelist, but weak in your heart, Joseph Wheeler. When the time comes you become strong in your heart AND with your Duel... I look forward to a rematch with you to see if you have that bond."

Joey wobbled a bit, about to fall over til Tristan caught him, blinking when he saw Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon slide out of his Graveyard slot onto the ground. Holding Joey up, Tristan kneeled down, collecting Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon, just to be safe. After that had been done, Yugi rushed over as well, blinking. "Kite! Wait a minute"  
Stopping before he walked, he turned around to look at Yugi. "Yes, Yugi? What is it you wish to ask?"

"I know you have good in your heart. So... why are you a Card Hunter? Why do you do all of this if your heart is good?" Yugi asked.

Joey heard what Yugi said about the good in his heart, and his nearly drooping eyes widened for a moment... until he groaned, passing out from the pain. Thinking on Yugi's question, Kite exhaled. "My mother. My mother is the reason I am doing what I do. I may not like my actions, I may not feel right about them, but helping my mother with the money I've earned for working as a Card Hunter is why I do what I do, Yugi Mutoh. Sometimes, the ends justify the means. Soon enough, I will see you again..."

Kite gestured to Yugi, turning, and walking slowly, exhaling as he did. A small spybot sat in the bushes, watching over the Duel as Sarah smiled. "That foolish posturing of Kite's will get him killed some day... but I am most impressed with your boy, Bandit Keith. He's much stronger than I had ever imagined. And you said you found him in Arizona and mentioned to him about us?"

Keith smiled devilishly, nodding. "Yeah. Even if I ain't gettin' the opportunity to bash Wheeler's brains in a Duel, it's nice to see that punk get a swift kick in the . So... you think that the research has helped?"

"Yes. It has so far. Dealing with any potential threats is an important matter. I cannot be stopped before my quest for vengeance is done with... that is the only way that I will work is if others who standing against me are defeated and humiliated horribly. That is why you wanted to be here too... wasn't it, Keith? Because our goals are the same?"

"Yeah, we both want to see Pegasus suffer. He humiliated me, and you felt he hurt you. In the end, we both win when he goes down."

Sarah had a seductive smile curved on her lips as she said "My thoughts exactly."

Back at the park, Joey groaned, opening his eyes. "Huh! Hey! Where is he!? Where'd he go!? What happened"  
"Joey, Joey! Easy..." Taro replied. "It's over, man... you lost the Duel... sorry, man."

"How did I lose?"

Tristan had his arms crossed, looking away. "You called wrong with Compensation of Arbitration, remember? You got Inferno Fire Blast instead of Compensation of Arbitration. It was a pretty close Duel, man, but it seems right now, Kite's a little too strong for ya."

Joey looked at his Duel Disk and closed his eyes. "I told myself I wasn't gonna lose... I wasn't gonna let him walk all over me. And it looks like I did the very opposite. I'm so pathetic that I had to lose to some bad dude..." Standing up, Joey still had his head hung low. "I... I'm gonna go, guys..." Joey soon enough began to walk as Taro said

"Man, he's sure takin' this harshly... it's just a loss..."

Yugi frowned. "Maybe to Joey... it was something more, Taro..." All Yugi, Tristan, T?, and Taro could do was watch as Joey walked off, reaching into his pocket as he pulled out Red Eyes Black Dragon, sighing, and putting it into his Deck carefully, before he headed off... just to get his head cleared... perhaps.

-To Be Continued...- 


	22. Chapter 22

Episode 22 - Reawaken the Fighting Spirit!

Sitting in class, during a break, Yugi, Tristan, T?, Taro, Melody, and Duke looked over at Joey, who just seeming... mopey due to his loss at the hands of Kite yesterday. Melody frowned, looking at Joey. "Poor guy... it must have been hard for him to lose..."

"Jeez, why's he gotta be so mopey?!" Duke replied, arms crossed. "It's not like it's the end of the world if he loses one friggin' Duel! He's such a drama queen!"

Tristan looked at Duke then grabbed him with his right arm around his neck, his left arm pulling on it as he gritted his teeth. "You're not exactly helping here, Duke! So can the smart-assed remarks!"

T? sighed, arms crossed. "Morons... both of you are morons! You're not helping the situation at all!"

"Yugi, how do you wanna handle the situation, man?" Taro asked, arms crossed over his chest. Yugi shook his head. "I don't know. I think he wants his space, but... at the same time... I gotta ask what's up. He's been so down, I dunno what to do!" Standing up, Yugi made his way over to Joey's desk slowly, looking at him. "Hey, Joey... is everything OK?"

"No. Yugi, I lost. I mean, sure, I've lost before, but, not like this! Not so badly, and not to someone who was 'bad'. I... I dunno. I think I've lost my fighting spirit, man. People who Duel talk about Duelist's pride, stuff like that, but I mean... what good is it if you lose so badly?"

Yugi frowned. Taro soon enough twitched, then slammed his hands down on the table and thrusted his index finger at Joey. "Now that's the one thing you don't get! Duelist's pride!? To a guy like me who's learned from my grandpa, I've never once heard of something so foolish as the pride of a Duelist, Joey! Pride's one thing someone shouldn't let get in the way! You gotta know that when you Duel, you could win and you could lose!"

Yugi smiled when he heard Taro's words, remembering Mai having said that to Atem during their Duel during the Duelist Kingdom finals, and how Atem finally resolved to work with Yugi rather than work against him, like he had done. Joey shot a glare at Taro and grabbed him by his school uniform's collar. "What'd you say to me!?"

"You heard me, Joey. Answer me this, big guy. This is somethin' Yugi gave me awhile back. 'Somethin' you can show, but can't see'. To me, it's my belief in the friends I have made, win or lose, as well as in myself. That's my answer. To me, it doesn't make sense all of the time, but I get the meaning to it. It isn't just friendship, it can be anything; your bond to your Deck if you play Duel Monsters, a love for someone, something like that! So, what's your answer?" Taro replied, looking at Joey very seriously.

"Grr... what could you understand about how I feel about the Duel I lost?!"

"I can tell you're letting your loss affect you. If you think you've lost your fighting prowess and spirit, show me. Duel me." Taro replied, putting his hand on his chest.

"What?"

"Do you really think you need to win just to be a 'True' Duelist? That's what I'm gettin' right now. Take me on and lemme see if that's gonna still stand when you are done."

Joey exhaled, dropping Taro to his feet. "Don't say sorry once we're done though."

After some time, the other students began to rearrange the classroom, as their teacher, Mr. Saruno, walked in, his eyes widened as he said "Class... may I ask how come the desks have been pushed against the walls and all rearranged...?"

Yugi blinked and said "Well, Mr. Saruno, there's going to be a Duel Monsters Duel going on. I'll take full responsibility for what Joey and Taro do since they are thw two who are doing this. I apologize too for this in advance."

Mr. Saruno blinked at this and nodded. "Very well, Mr. Mutoh... you are responsible if anything bad happens." Slowly, the black and greying haired teacher sat down near his desk, as Joey and Taro made the last adjustments to their Duel Disks, everyone in the classroom looking on from around the classroom, both Duelists drawing their first five cards as Taro said "OK! Let's do this then!"

"Fine!" Joey replied, a serious look on his face as he and Taro both cried out, along with everyone else in the class, save for Mr. Saruno, "Duel!"

"My turn!" Taro drew his first card, now having a maximum hand of six as he examined his hand and smiled. "I play Golgoil in Defense Mode"  
A grey giant of iron appeared on Taro's side of the Field, arms crossed over its' round torso, its' small legs kneeling down softly on the ground, with a knight-like helmet, red eyes glowing underneath the helmet's visor as Taro said "And now I will set a card face-down! Turn end!"

Right behind Taro's Golgoil, a Duel Monsters card flashed into view, as Taro exhaled, his Monster Card Zone just with Golgoil on it. He knew he was just opening up to see what Joey would do, and was ready to cut loose if he needed to do so. He knew Joey was probably stronger than he was, but he knew if he believed, he'd still win perhaps.

GOLGOIL Earth/Machine/4/900 ATK/1600 DEF

"My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his next card, smiling as he looked at Taro's side of the Field.  
"Trap Card! Activate! Rare Metalmorph!" In a flash, Golgoil's body began to shine more with a beautiful metallic grey to it, its' ATK increased by 500 points to 1400 points. Joey blinked and said "What the...? It's like Metalmorph!"

"Not really. Rare Metalmorph is something more. It works only for Machine-Type Monsters, increasing my chosen Monster's ATK by 500 points. Plus there's one more effect that I think you are gonna find intriguing. But I may not need to use it just yet."

RARE METALMORPH Continuous Trap Card Effect: Increase the ATK of 1 Machine-Type Monster on the Field by 500 points. Only once, negate the effect of a Magic Card that designates the Monster. When the selected Monster is removed from the Field, destroy this card.

Exhaling, Joey took a card from his hand and said "I play Wolf Axwielder in Attack Mode!" Appearing on Joey's side of the Field was a humanoid with a grey wolf-like head, its' yellow eyes gazing at Golgoil, slashing the air with its' left hand, which hand a curved axe in it, and its' right arm covered with a brown shield. On its' torso, all kinds of red marks, with white tape around its' wrists and waist, as well as black pants, showing wolf paws, and a wolf tail cracking behind it.

WOLF AXWIELDER Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/1650 ATK/1000 DEF

"Wolf Axwielder, attack Golgoil!" Wolf Axwielder howled at Joey's command, charging right at Taro's small machine, pulling its' axe back as it slashed downward quickly, splitting Golgoil right in half, destroying it in a burst of an explosion, Taro standing rather still despite his Monster being destroyed in battle. Joey blinked and said "Whatever... I end my turn."

Taro nodded. "My turn!" Drawing his next card, Taro looked at his card, looking at the other cards in his hand. He took his card of choice, and said "I will set a Monster face-down... and that's that!"

Joey blinked, and said "My turn." Drawing his next card, Joey smiled and said "Now I will Sacrifice Wolf Axwielder and summon Garoozis in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, in place of Wolf Axwielder was a green dragon-like warrior with yellow eyes, spikes along its' neck, with two horns jutting out of the back of its' head, as well as a horn on the tip of its' nose. This monster also had silver shoulder armor, wrist armor, and ankle armor, as well as an double-bladed axe.

GAROOZIS Fire/Beast-Warrior/5/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Garoozis, attack his face-down Monster!" Garoozis charged at Joey's command, leaping into the air and slashing downward at Taro's set card, which broke open, revealing Blast Sphere! Joey's eyes widened as Blast Sphere then clamped onto Garoozis' chest, sinking its' pincers into its' back.

Taro gave out a big grin as he said "Betcha didn't see that comin'! Now we just wait for your next Standby Phase and BLAM"  
"Grrr... I'll set a card face-down!" Joey slid a Magic or Trap Card into his Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone, which caused it to materialize right behind Garoozis. "Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw." Taro drew his next card and looked at his hand, as he took one card from his hand. "I summon Mighty Guard in Defense Mode!"

Appearing on the Field with a green armored kind of cyborg, with his left arm covered in green metal, save for a silver gear along the knuckles of its' hand, as well as a similar gear around its' waist, and its' left shoulder and its' upper right arm, which was still human. A gear also covered its' right eye, its' mouth being flesh as well as its' waist. Kneeling down, Mighty Guard had both arms crossed over its' body, its' Duel Monsters' card underneath it turned horizontally.

MIGHTY GUARD Earth/Machine/4/500 ATK/1200 DEF

"Next up, I'll combo Mighty Guard with this Magic Card! Machine Duplication!"

MACHINE DUPLICATION Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 1 Machine-Type Monster with an ATK of 500 orless on your side of the Field and activate this card. You can Special Summon up to 2 cards with the same name from your Deck.

"With Machine Duplication's effect, I can select a Machine-Type Monster on my side of the Field with an ATK of 500 points or less, then Special Summon 2 more copies of it from my Deck to the Field! So, here comes two more Mighty Guards! Both in Defense Mode!" Pulling his Deck out, Taro took his two other Mighty Guards, and placed them onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone horizontally, two more Mighty Guards on opposite sides of the first Mighty Guard Taro had Normal Summoned earlier.

"And now I got 3 Monsters for 3 times the fun!" Taro smiled, his hands resting on his sides. "OK, I'm... officially done. You're up"  
Joey drew his next card, but... once he did, Blast Sphere tightened its' grip onto Garoozis, a beeping coming from it, then... in a flash, Blast Sphere exploded, taking Garoozis with it, Joey's Duel Disk's Life Point counter dropping from 4000 to 2200. Joey exhaled and said "Now it's my turn! I Normal Summon Hayabusa Knight in Attack Mode!"

Appearing on Joey's side of the Field, holding a curved cutlass was a pergerine falcon, but standing upright, with silver chest armor and anklets, as well as a green cape and green briefs, a claw-like part of gauntlets around its' wrists.

HAYABUSA KNIGHT Earth/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/700 DEF Effect: This Monster can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.

"Next up, I play the Equip Magic Card, Lightning Blade!" In a flash, lightning formed around Hayabusa Knight's cutlass, its' ATK increased by 800 points to 1800.

LIGHTNING BLADE Equip Magic Card Effect: This card can only be used to equip Warrior-Type Monsters. Increase the ATK of the equipped Monster by 800 points and decrease the ATK of all WATER Monsters by 500 points.

"And now... Hayabusa Knight! Attack!" Hayabusa Knight charged like a flash, disappearing then slashing one of Taro's Mighty Guards right in half, with it exploding thus thanks to it being destroyed. Taro cried out at that, Joey smiling. "Hayabusa Knight, take out another Mighty Guard!"

Hayabusa Knight leapt into the air, coming downward at another of Taro's Mighty Guards, slicing it in half, destroying it as well as Taro was now left only with one Mighty Guard as Joey said "I'll just set a card face-down and end my turn!"

Yugi looked on at the Duel, looking on. 'Looks like Joey's not lost any of his luster for Dueling so far. But Taro seems to b toying with him just a tad. I dunno why... but my guess is Taro wants to draw Joey out more to get him more into this. I'm sure that's what it's all about."

"My turn. Draw." Taro drew his next card and nodded. 'Nice. A good card. Time to show off another side of my Machine Deck'  
Taro grinned and slashed his card across the air. "I will now Sacrifice Mighty Guard and summon...!" Mighty Guard disappeared in a flash, Taro slapping down his Monster of choice. "Satellite Cannon in Attack Mode!"

In place of Mighty Guard, what appeared to be an elongated satellite appeared, with 4 solar panels along the back row, as well as a kind of laser cannon in the front as it hovered over Taro's side of the Field, Taro exhaling, shaking his hands a bit just to loosen up as he grinned.

SATELLITE CANNON Light/Machine/5/0 ATK/0 DEF Effect: This card cannot be destroyed as a result of Battle by battling a Monster that is Level 7 or less. During each of your End Phases, increase the ATK of this card by 1000 points. Once this card has attacked, its' ATK reduces to 0.

"And I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." Taro smiled. 'But thanks to Satellite Cannon's effect, its' ATK is increased from 0 to 1000, and that 1000+ boost is gonna keep on kickin' in during each of my End Phases as long as it's on the Field."

Satellite Cannon's solar panels began to shine, taking in energy, with its' ATK going up from 0 to 1000. 'Man, this thing is crazy. But it's only got 1000 ATK! No way can it stand up to Hayabusa Knight's ATK of 1800! But... what if Taro said is true? Screw it! I'll show him to make fun of me!'

"My turn!" Drawing his next card, Joey soon enough thrusted his hand outward. "Hayabusa Knight, take down Satellite Cannon"  
Hayabusa Knight charged at Satellite Cannon, slashing downward, striking Satellite Cannon, but Satellite Cannon didn't go down! Joey blinked as Taro chuckled. "Sorry! Forgot to mention that Satellite Cannon can't be destroyed as a result of Battle with a Monster that's Level 1 through 7! Ehehehehe... nice try though! I give it a 7 out of 10 for effort."

Joey's left eye began to twitch a bit as Joey sighed, but Taro's Life Point counter went from 4000 to 3200, Taro smiling even if his LP went down. Joey smiled. "Well, I'll still drop your LP again! Hayabusa Knight, attack Satellite Cannon again!" Hayabusa Knight leapt into the air and slashed downward at Satellite Cannon, dropping Taro's Life Points by another 800 points to 2400.

"Next I will set a card face-down and end my turn!" Appearing behind Hayabusa Knight, a Duel Monsters card appeared, everyone in the class murmuring while watching the Duel, as Taro smiled. "My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, smiling, Taro looked at his card, seeing he got Limiter Removal. He smiled and said "I will set a card face-down and end my turn! Satellite Cannon, power up!"

Satellite Cannon's solar panels began to shine, its' ATK going up from 1000 to 2000, Joey saying "Is that all you're gonna do is stall to power up Satellite Cannon? Not gonna happen! My turn! Draw"  
Joey drew his next card and tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Set card, activate. Star Blaster! I'm sure you know how this work!"

Tristan nodded. "OK, so Joey is gonna try to get a strong Monster Special Summoned. But if he's wrong, he's gonna lose his turn"  
"Joey has been doing well so far, but..." Yugi replied, arms at his sides. "He's not doing as well as he could. He's still holding back a bit... maybe the loss against Kite affected him pretty badly... if he's gonna be holding back and not hitting Taro with all he's got"  
"Yes." T? said, exhaling, her hand resting on her chest. "He needs to let go of his fear... and give it his all."

Yugi nodded. "But he's letting his pride get to him. Ms. Mai even said that someone can't let that get in the way..."

Joey smiled, as Hayabusa Knight disappeared, as the small angel/demon of Star Blaster appeared, holding the red dice, flicking it up into the air, the dice bouncing up and down, rolling forward as Joey clenched his hands until the dice landed on 4! Joey smiled and said "Thanks to Hayabusa Knight, 3 + 4 7! And now I'm gonna Special Summon a Level 7 Monster from my hand to the Field, and I figured a great way to show one of my new Monsters off! I summon Garnecia Elefantis in Attack Mode!" Showing his card to Taro, Joey slapped it down onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone.

Appearing on Joey's side of the Field was a large purple skinned elephant, with its' tusks rising up into the air, as it also had gold and black armor on its' shoulders and around its' neck, with a Mayan-style cloth along the front of its' lower half, black nails for its' feet, holding a curved sword in its' hands.

GARNECIA ELEFANTIS Earth/Beast-Warrior/7/2400 ATK/2000 DEF

"Next, I play the Magic Card, Mystical Moon!" In a flash, a moon appeared above Garnecia Elefantis as it let out a bellowing trumpet with its' trunk, its' muscles tightening, its ATK and DEF increased by 300 points to 2700/2300. "Garnecia Elefantis, attack Satellite Cannon!" Garnecia Elefantis leapt into mid air, crying out as it slashed downward at Satellite Cannon, not destroying it of course, since it was a Level 7, and Satellite Cannon's effect wouldn't allow that to happen, but Taro still lost 700, 1700 Life Points being his point now.

Joey smiled and said "You still wanna say sorry for whatcha said?"

"No. Way. 'Cause all I am seein' still is that you wanna win at any cost." Taro raised his head up and looked over at Joey. "I'm not gettin' to duel the real you!"

Joey blinked. "Real me? I'm giving you my all, Taro"  
"Not really, Joey. You're still holding back 'cause of your fear of defeat. You can't let it bug you! I've never let a loss bug me before, and I've lost, like, dozens of times! And I've always stood up back on my feet to try again! That's somethin' you've done before, right?"

Joey looked in surprise as Taro smiled. "Tristan told me how you told that to Rex Raptor. If you ask me, you're bein' kinda weak just 'cause you don't wanna lose anymore. If that's how you feel, maybe you should just take your Deck and throw it away"  
"I'll never throw my Deck out!" Joey cried out. "I'll just end my turn!"

"Fine then. If your resolution is so strong, let's see ya stand up from this. My turn. Draw!" Taro drew his next card, and took one of his cards from his hand. "I play my own Equip Magic Card! 7 Completed! This Magic Card will power up Satellite Cannon's ATK or DEF! I choose ATK, raising it to 2700!"

Satellite Cannon's frame began to glow, as its' ATK went up to 2700 as he thrusted his hand forward. "I will now have Satellite Cannon attack Garnecia Elefantis!" Satellite Cannon's laser cannon locked onto Garnecia Elefantis, as it began to charge up its' attack, a blast spiralling at Garnecia Elefantis, destroying it, but with it still being on the Field thanks to its' effect, with its' effect dropping its' ATK to 0, but then recalculating the effect of 7 Completed, putting it at 700 ATK/0 DEF. "I end my turn."

Satellite Cannon's solar panels began to shine, its' ATK then raised to 1700. Joey nodded. "My turn!" Drawing his next card, he saw he had Block Attack, as well as seeing he had Shield Crush, but no Monsters! He groaned and said "I play the Magic Card, Block Attack! This forces one Monster on your side of the Field in face-up Attack Mode to Defense Mode!"

BLOCK ATTACK Normal Magic Card Effect: Select one of your opponent's Attack Mode Monsters and change it to Defense Mode.

Satellite Cannon's card appeared underneath it, turned horizontally, showing it was in Defense Mode, with 0 as its' DEF. Joey soon enough took Shield Crush from his hand and said "Combo attack! Now I play the Magic Card, Shield Crush! That is gonna take out your Satellite Cannon!"

A flash of light shot at Satellite Cannon, slicing it in half as it then exploded, Taro crying out as did everyone else, Joey smiling as he said "And now, I end my turn"  
"My turn." Drawing his next card, Taro looked at his draw, as he girnned. "Hey, Joey, what if I told ya I could end this Duel in one turn?"

"One turn? You're kiddin' right? There's gotta be no way you can end this Duel in one turn! But I'd like to see you try"  
"With pleasure. First up, I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in Attack Mode!" Taro cried out, smiling, as Gear Golem planted its' small feet onto the ground, looking at Joey. Taro took a Magic Card from his hand and showed it to Joey. "And now, my last move! I activate the Magic Card, Life-Risking Charge!!"

LIFE-RISKING CHARGE!  
Normal Magic Card Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points and select 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field that has an ATK of 1000 points or less. When the chosen Monster inflicts Battle Damage on your opponent's Life Points, inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the DEF of the attacking Monster.

Suddenly, Gear Golem's body began to glow, as Taro's LP dropped from 1700 to 700 as Taro began to explain. "See, Life Risking Charge has me pay 1000 LP and then select a Monster with an ATK of 1000 or less for a nice surprise. Gear Golem! Attack his Life Points directly!" Gear Golem's shield-like arms spreaded out, and with a big blast from jet boosters, Gear Golem charged, smashing its' shield into Joey's gut, causing him to cough a bit, his Life Points reduced by 800 points to 1400. Joey smiled. "Looks like you were bluffing. I'm still standing."

"Nope. The surprise to Life Risking Charge is... you're gonna take damage equal to the DEF of my Monster that attacked you. So now you're gonna take 2200 points of damage, and since you're at 1400, that's game!" Taro smiled. Joey's eyes were widened as his Life Point counter then spun to 0, as he said "I... I can't believe it! He DID beat me in just one more turn!"

Taro grinned and gave a thumbs up to Joey. "That was the most fun I've had in a while, Joey! We gotta do this again sometime"  
Hearing Taro's words, Joey began to blink a bit, remembering how he was feeling... overwhelmed because he was losing, but now, he was starting to feel like his old self again. He looked at Taro, blinking, surprised how Taro could act like a grinning idiot, but he started to see Taro had an even purer pleasure and passion for Duel Monsters than even himself. Smiling for the first time in a few hours, Joey nodded. "Yeah, we should, shouldn't we?"

Yugi smiled, exhaling."Feeling better, Joey"  
"Yeah, tons. I was so freaked about losing at first, but now I'm feeling a lot better. I can't believe I was bein' such a hypocrite! I had lost before and stood up, but... even now I couldn't find myself gettin' back to my feet for once. This was one time I couldn't stand defeat. Maybe Kite's right. Maybe I am like Atem."

Taro had his arms behind his head. "You're just too serious, man. You gotta lighten up and relax. That's how I am in a Duel. I just coast along with no worries, and give 120 and still come out on top, win or lose, 'cause I know I did the most important thing a Duelist needs... and that's to have fun!"

Joey blinked but smiled, nodding. Yugi chuckled a bit, but smiled also. He was just glad that whatever kind of a funk Joey was in... it was over with as Joey and Taro clasped their hands together, both grinning... until they both began to try and arm wrestle each other. Leeping into the air, hooking his legs around his arm, Taro cried out, as Joey gritted his teeth, waving his arm rapidly to shake Taro off of him... and everyone else in the class began to chuckle and laugh at what was going on, as Yugi sighed a bit, shaking his head.

'This is gonna be longer and harder than I thought..." Yugi replied to himself... knowing that whatever kind of rivalry both Joey and Taro had was not said and done with just yet.

-To Be Continued...- 


	23. Chapter 23

Episode 23 - A Most Unusual Battle! Taro vs... Kaiba!?

Seto Kaiba sat inside of a limosuine, arms crossed, his briefcase right at his side, containing his Duel Disk and his Deck of Duel Monsters cards. "How much longer, Mokuba?"

Mokuba looked over to his older brother and cleared his throat. "We're almost to the Kame Game Shop, big brother. Relax! We'll get there, then we can ask Yugi what he know."

Soon enough, Kaiba looked at his briefcase, as it began to glow, and Kaibaman appeared, sitting between the brothers, transparent to everyone else. Kaiba glared and Mokuba cried out at this, panting a bit as Kaibaman smiled. "Ya know, I've been getting this odd feeling since we began to move, Kaibaboy. There's someone else out there who is like you... someone who can see a Duel Monsters spirit."

"Spriit? You have to be kidding me!" Kaiba thought, but then he clenched his fist, getting annoyed. "AND WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO POP UP ALL OF A SUDDEN"  
Kaibaman chuckled and smiled. "Anything to help my partner after all"  
Hearing this, Kaiba was taken aback with shock. "P-partner"  
"Yeah. And well, think about it." Kaibaman replied, closing his eyes, then opening them, but they were unseen due to his helmet. "Seto... you remember when you were called to our world, when Doma attacked, right?"

Kaiba remembered this well... even if he had seen some odd things in his life, he still was confused by those events along with others, like his being witness to Yugi's Duel with Atem. He nodded slowly as Kaibaman still sat there, transparent.

"That's why you have me. You are a link to our world from your own. You knew Critias' name and power because it chose you, like Timaeus chose Yugi and the Nameless Pharaoh, and Helmos chose Joey Wheeler. All of you were meant for your roles as the wielders of the Legendary Dragons from the beginning. You three, and perhaps others, will have a special link to our world, where one of us will be your guide of sorts."

"OK, wait, if that's true, Kaibaman... why can I see you also?" Mokuba asked, leaning forward some. Kaibaman chuckled but smiled softly. "That, my young friend, is because you have a strong bond with your brother. So you can see me. And others will be able to know about me who can see me. I get the feeling where we are headed that someone else is there who can see me."

"We're going to be seeing Yugi Mutoh, someone who knows about these Card Hunters and what they want." Kaiba replied. "Perhaps he has some answers to the questions I have."

Yugi was just sitting in his room, looking over his schoolwork, eating a small riceball as he scratched the side of his head with the eraser end of his pencil. Horus appeared transparent, floating next to Yugi, blinking. "Whatcha doing, Yugi"  
With part of the riceball still in his mouth, Yugi spoke, answering his partner's question. "Studying."

"What for?"

Taro blinked when he passed by Yugi's room, listening to him speak, as if he was talking to someone else. Taro looked on, leaning in, and... in a surprising moment, he saw it!! Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4!! Transparent, sure, but it was there! About to cry out but quickly covering his mouth, Taro blinked rapidly, then began to run as fast as he could.

Panting, Taro sook a seat down onto the couch, exhaling. Walking out, Yuu looked at his nephew, and so did Suki, Suki leaning into him. "Taro, are you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost..."

"I did! Well, I'm not sure if it WAS a ghost or not, Aunt Suki, but I saw a Duel Monster! Yugi didn't even have his Duel Disk on and I still saw it! Maybe I'm just stressin' over nothing..."

Suki kneeled down to Taro softly and said "Taro, would you like some tea"  
"Yeah... that actually may help.." Taro replied.  
Yuu looked at Taro and began to think. 'What he saw... I wonder if that proves the theory I had... that Duel Monsters might exist on a different plane of reality than we do... and only a few can see them...'

Taro leaned back against the couch, exhaling. Meanwhile, downstairs, Joey, T?, and Tristan were looking at some of the Duel Monsters cards Solomon had laid out. Solomon smiled, nodding. "Impressive, eh? It's taken me a while to collect all of these fabulous cards!"

Joey nodded. "I'll say, Gramps! Hey!" Smiling, Joey reached ouit and took a card. "A Red Eyes Black Chick! I could use this"  
"What makes you think you can use it very well, Joey? And let's be honest here." Tristan replied, crossing his arms.

Joey shot a glare at Tristan and scoffed. "I got the idea after I Dueled Kite! I think I need a bit more Red Eyes Black Dragon support, and maybe a Red Eyes Black Chick will help! Gramps, I was wondering if you also had a card called Inferno Fire Blast! I wanted to add that to my Deck too as well as Red Eyes Black Chick... I mean... if it's OK with you! If you want, I can even pay ya for 'em!"

Solomon blinked and thought "Inferno Fire Blast"  
Taro had his cup of tea, gently sipping it as he came downstairs. He blinked, waving. "Hey, guys... what's up? If you're looking for Yuge, he's upstairs doing his homework."

T? smiled. "We know, Taro. Grandpa Mutoh was nice enough to tell us when we got here. Now Joey's trying to barter for some new cards!"

Solomon stroked his beard, then remembered what Joey had asked. Taking a copy of Inferno Fire Blast he had, and set it down. "Alright... Joey, what will you pay for these?"

Reaching into his pocket, Joey pulled his wallet out and began to open it carefully. He sighed and said "All I got is 2,000 yen, Gramps... this sucks! Now I can't improve my Deck's Red Eyes Black Dragon support"  
Solomon chuckled, then handed Joey Inferno Fire Blast. "Free of charge, as is the Red Eyes Black Chick... but next time, I won't be so nice so remember that!"

Joey sniffled and shouted out with joy. "Thanks, Gramps!" Soon enough, Joey bowed, banging his head onto the glass case, groaning a bit as Tristan, T?, Taro, and Solomon all blinked. Lifting his head up, Joey groaned, with a copy of Mirage of Nightmare stuck to his forehead. Solomon reached out carefully and yanked it slowly off of Joey's forehead. "Careful now, Joey."

"Mental note made"  
Taro began to laugh until he heard a honking. Yugi, up in his room, even heard it and blinked. Horus also blinked as Yugi set his pencil down, got up and walked to his window, pulling the curtain to the side to gaze out the window. "That limo! It belongs to Kaiba!"

"Kaiba? Who's Kaiba?" Asked Horus, blinking as he floated beside Yugi.

Yugi turned to his partner and began to speak again. "Seto Kaiba, one of the others chosen by the 3 Legendary Dragons as well. I thought you knew this!"

"Well, I kinda did, but I guess I forgot! Ehehehehe... so, uh, what should we do?"

Yugi rushed to his door, speaking as he did. "Go see what he wants!"

Running downstairs, Yugi rushed right to the front door, running out of it, as everyone else blinked, then followed him. Yugi stood by the door somewhat, Joey, T?, Tristan, Taro, and Solomon standing behind him, looking on at the limo parked outside of the Kame Game Shop.

Walking down the stairs also, Yuu and Suki looked on at the large group outside, Yuu being the first to speak up. "What's going on?"

"We don't know, Uncle Yuu, but we're gonna find out soon enough!" Replied Taro, turning back to the scene at hand.

The door of the limosuine opened slowly, and out stepped Seto Kaiba, just in a dark blue overcoat, a green long collared shirt underneath it, and similar colored pants with black shoes, his suitcase's handle in his left hand, his right hand in his pocket. Mokuba stepped out behind his brother, with a light blue bandana around his neck as well as the same color of jeans, and a red and yellow striped t-shirt as he walked up.

"Kaiba... Mokuba..." Yugi blinked. "What the heck are you guys doing back here in Japan"  
Kaiba looked at Yugi, setting his suitcase down. "Yugi. I came to ask you some information. I'm sure you know about the Card Hunters that been appearing here in Japan... and from what I've heard, you're the man to ask."

"Well, I do know some information, Kaiba..." Yugi spoke, clearing his throat. "All I know is that they want to collect rare cards and Decks, as well as wanting to make Duel Monsters more exciting. What Pegasus also told me is that they've been around for a couple of years. And they may have ties to a company called Starlight. That's what I know so far. Why do you ask? Have you had a run-in with them?"

Kaiba nodded. "One of them, Mark, came to KaibaCorp's America offices and Dueled against me, then told me to come to Japan to get answers about them from you... and his mentioning that the Card Hunters were here. That's why I came here... to deal with them on my own playing ground."

"Hate to tell ya this, but Pegasus has beaten you to the punch, Kaiba." Joey replied, arms crossed. "He already said he's got a plan to lure 'em out from what Yugi told us."

Kaiba looked at Yugi. "Is it true"  
"Yeah. It is. He said to stay tuned to TV in the coming days. Just makes me wonder what he's up to."

"I have my suspicions if what was said is true." Kaiba then held his suitcase out, looking down at Yugi. "Yugi! There is another reason I came here. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Yuu looked with his arms crossed and blinked. "You wish to Duel Yugi"  
"I do. I want to battle the one who did something Atem and myself might have had a hard time doing, and that is defeating all 3 God Cards. Yugi, you are indeed the strongest Duelist I've seen... you even could best Atem and the God Cards, something I thought was impossible, but you still did it. So... will you accept my challenge?"

Yugi blinked, then scratched his head, chuckling uneasily. "Uh... I would love to normally, but I gotta go back in and do my homework"  
"Hey! I'll gladly take you on in his place, Kaiba!" Joey cried out, slamming his foot down as he thrusted his index finger right at Kaiba.  
Looking over at Joey, Kaiba scoffed, eyes closed. "As if I would waste my time taking you on again just so you can lose, underdog. You should know your place."

Joey twitched and shouted."WHADDYA CALL ME!?" and before Joey could leap at Kaiba, Tristan hooked his arms under Joey's arms, holding him back.  
"Lemme go, Tristan, lemme at him, lemme at him"  
"Take it easy, Joey! Don't forget, you don't got your Deck and Duel Disk with you! Remember"  
Joey blinked as he said "Oh, yeah... that's right... my bad..."

"Well... what about me?" Taro stepped up.  
Kaiba looked down at Taro, who was much shorter than he was. Taro was just 5 feet 3, but he had plenty of spunk, even if Kaiba was 6' 1". "Who the heck are you?" Mokuba asked, stepping next to his brother.

"Kentaro Mutoh, Yugi's cousin and another skilled Duelist! But just call me Taro. Anyway, well, if you can't take Yugi on since he's gonna have to complete his homework soon, why not take me on, Kaiba? I mean... it's not the same, but at least ya get to Duel a Mutoh under the circumstances..." Taro smiled, his hands behind his head.

Kaiba looked down at Taro, closed his eyes, and set his suitcase down. "Very well. I accept your challenge. Just do not expect me to give you any mercy when I break you."

After some time, Taro grabbed his Duel Disk and his Deck, exhaling, loosening himself up. He knew and heard how strong Seto Kaiba was, so he knew this wasn't going to be easy but he was ready. Yuu looked over to Yugi and said "Yugi, you've seen how Seto Kaiba Duels. Be honest, do you think Taro has a chance?"

Yugi exhaled."It won't be easy, Dad... Kaiba has faced me several times before... and he's shown he's a dangerous but strong Duelist each of those times."

"You mean the other you, right?" Suki blinked.

Yugi gulped, slowly turning to his mother. "Mom... how do you know that...?"

"Your father and grandfather told me all about the Millennium Puzzle... and how there was another you that came from there... a Nameless Pharaoh so to speak. It is alright..." Suki smiled. "I guess you didn't want me to worry about you, so that's why you didn't tell me... but dear, it's alright. You are just fine the way you are"  
Yugi blushed a bit, but smiled softly.

Joey groaned a bit, arms crossed over his chest. "Man, this sucks that Taro gets to take on Kaiba! I wanted to do it to kick his butt!"

"If you couldn't beat him two times before, Joey, what makes you think that you'd be able to beat him now?" T? replied, her left index finger resting against her forehead softly.

Joey shot a glare to T? then scoffed. "Ya know what that American proverb is... 'third time's a charm', T?! And I mean, it's not like Taro's gonna do any better against this guy!"

"Don't doubt him, Joey, you saw how good he was when he took Rumiko on." Tristan replied. "I think Taro wuill do just fine if you ask me. I got noooo worries whatsoever"  
Solomon nodded. "Taro has worked hard on his Machine Deck since the last time I saw him, so I will not worry either, Joey. He should do just fine. But now, the Duel is going to begin"  
"Come on, big brother! You can do it!" Mokuba cried out.

Taro finished shuffling his Deck and slapped it into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, exhaling. "OK, I'm ready, Kaiba! 4000 LP, right"  
"Correct." Kaiba said, slapping his Deck into the Duel Disk's Deck Holder. "Ready when you are. And don't come crying to me if I shatter your confidence."

"Blah, blah, blah, just shut up and let your cards prove your actions!" Taro replied, picking up his first 5 cards, Kaiba doing the same, their Duel Disks' Life Point counters rolling to 4000 points, as both Duelists said "DUEL!!" Taro and Kaiba looked at one another as Kaiba said "My turn first! Draw!"

Drawing his first card gracefully, Kaiba looked at his draw and smiled as he said "I summon Battle Ox in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, a large brown minotaur with a sword-like axe appeared on Kaiba's side of the Field, blowing steam from its' nose as it gritted its' teeth. Much of Battle Ox's body was covered in armor save for its' arms and legs, its' body covered in a light blue and gold armor, silver bracelets around its' wrists, with a red and gold horned helmet, and similar shoulder pad armor. Battle Ox roared, slashing the air with its' ax, as Kaiba smiled.

BATTLE OX Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/1700 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next I will set one card face-down and end my turn!" Kaiba smiled. "So, let me see what kind of a Deck you run, Kentaro! Let me see what kind of skill you have."

"With pleasure!" Drawing his sixth card, Taro looked over all cards in his hand. 'OK, Kaiba's got Battle Ox which has 1700 ATK... but his face-down card is something I don't like... somethin' about it seems bad. I better play cool.'

Taking one of his Magic Cards, Taro said "I now activate Ground Collapse! With this Magic Card in play, 2 of your Monster Card Zones except for those with Monsters in 'em become null and void, meaning you get a smaller field than normally!"

Suddenly, 2 spaces to the left and 2 spaces to the right of Battle Ox collapsed, showing Ground Collapse's effect, meaning Kaiba lost 2 Monster Card Zone spots, and now could only have 3 Monsters on the Field at one time. Taro then took another card from his hand and said "I now play Acrobat Monkey in Defense Mode!"

Flipping downward and landing on its' own horizontal Duel Monsters card was a small teal robotic monkey, with white for its' jaw area, hands, feet, and the tip of its' tail as well as an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen for its' eyes. Slapping its' hands on the ground, Acrobat Monkey let out an "Ookii OokiI!" cry, much like a real monkey might.

ACROBAT MONKEY Earth/Machine/4/1000 ATK/1800 DEF

"GAAAAAAHHHHHHH!! Robot monkey!!" Tristan cried out. Everyone observing the Duel looked to the panicked Tristan, who was shuddering and sweating badly. Suki looked at Tristan, blinking. "Tristan, are you alright"  
"Oh, he's fine, Mrs. Mutoh, he's just had some, uh... bad experiences as a robot monkey." T? chuckled uneasily, with her next action being she let out a sigh. "He got his mind stuck in one once in virtual reality..."

"And that is an evil place for me to see it again!" Tristan cried out.  
Mokuba sighed, shaking his head. "Chill out, will you"  
"How would you feel if you were stuck in a robot monkey body, Mokuba? Answer me that"  
Thinking about it, Mokuba blinked and shook his head. "OK, this is getting outta hand, let's just observe the Duel!"

Taro took his next card and slid it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I will set one card face-down, and then end my turn!"

Kaiba scoffed. "Building a defense, eh? Very well. My turn!" Drawing his next card, looking at it and thought. 'Hmmm... not enough to plow through his defense, but I can get rid of that annoying Ground Collapse...'

"I play the torrential magic of Cyclone, otherwise known as Mystical Space Typhoon!" Kaiba replied, holding the Quickplay Magic Card in his hand. "This will allow me to destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field with ease, and I choose Ground Collapse!"

A cyclone of wind spiralled around Ground Collapse, and with that, Taro's face-up card exploded, and the ground on the far sides of Battle Ox returned to normal. Kaiba smiled and then slashed his arm across the air. "Quickplay Magic Card, Enemy Controller!"

Suddenly, as Kaiba revealed his Magic Card, a video game control pad appeared, with its' cord tapping into Acrobat Monkey. The controller was blue mostly, with 3 buttons, A, B, and C. A was a red button, B a yellow button, and C a blue button as well as 4 directional pads, up, down, left, and right.

Kaiba smiled and said "Enemy Controller has one of two effects. I can change the Battle Position of one of my opponent's face-up Monsters or I can Sacrifice one of my Monsters and take control of one of your face-up Monsters until the end of my turn, Kentaro."

ENEMY CONTROLLER Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Select and activate 1 of the following effects;  
-Change the Battle Position of 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field.  
-Sacrifice 1 Monster on your side of the Field. Select 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. Take control of the selected card until the End Phase of the turn this card is activated.

"Hey, the name is Taro to you, buddy boy! And I know how Enemy Controller works! So, uh... what option are you gonna be using?" Taro asked, rubbing his head.

"I believe I will use the the first effect!" Kaiba smiled, as the controller began to glow, Kaiba tapping the buttons on it. "Left, Right, A, C! That is the command to change the Battle Posiition of your Monster!"

Acrobat Monkey began to glow, flailing its' arms acround as it shifted to Attack Mode. Taro blinked and thought. "Ho boy"  
"You should be sweating bullets, Taro! Battle Ox! Attack Acrobat Monkey with Axe Crusher!" Battle Ox leapt into the air, arms pulled out as it roared, slashing its' axe downward with all of its' might, slicing Acrobat Monkey down the middle, destroying it in a might explosion and dropping Taro's Life Points by 700 points to 3300.

"Trap Card, activate! Michizure! This card activates when one of my Monsters is sent from the Field to the Graveyard! Now I get to destroy 1 Monster on the Field, and I choose Battle Ox!"

MICHIZURE Normal Trap Card Effect: You can activate this card when a Monster is sent from the Field to your Graveyard. Destroy 1 Monster on the Field.

With much surprise, from the smoke that came from the explosion of Acrobat Monkey's body, Acrobat Monkey's spirit came out, grabbing onto Battle Ox and dragging it into the earth as well, and now Kaiba's Monster Zone had no Monsters in it.

"Hmph... no worries at least. I will now just end my turn." Kaiba smiled, having 4 cards in his hand. "My turn. Draw!" Taro drew his next card, now having 4 cards in his hand also. Looking over his hand, Taro too his card of choice and showed it to Kaiba. "I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed."

Drawing 2 cards quickly, Taro looked over all the other cards in his hand. He smiled when he saw he had Heart of the Underdog! Exhaling, Taro took Heart of the Underdog and played it. "Activate Permanent Magic Card, Heart of the Underdog!" In a flash, Taro's Permanent Magic Card took effect. "Now, during each of my Draw Phases, every time I draw a Normal Monster, I can show it to you then draw a new card! But now, to make the most of this moment! I summon Inpachi in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, a human-like logman, colored brown, appeared onto the Field, the number 18 branded on its' chest, some small, cut-off branches on the sides of its' heads as its' yellow eyes began to glow, taking its' stance. Surprisingly enough, Inpachi was a Machine-Type Monster, not a Plant-Type like people would guess. And Taro was ready to use it.

INPACHI Earth/Machine/4/1600 ATK/1900 DEF

"Inpachi! Attack Kaiba's Life Points directly!" Taro cried out. Inpachi's eyes began to glow, as it began to run as fast as its' wood-based body could carry it. Running as fast, Inpachi pulled its' rounded fist back and punched Kaiba HARD in the gut, dropping his Life Points by 1600 points to 2400. Kaiba groaned a bit, stumbling back softly, coughing for a second as Taro smiled softly. "Now I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"Wow..." Mokuba blinked. "Your cousin is good if he could hit big brother that fiercely in such a short time, Yugi!"

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, Taro is pretty good, Mokuba. But just because he hit Kaiba so far doesn't mean that Kaiba won't find some way to retaliate. Your brother is one of the best Duelists I've seen, and what Atem kind of told him in Battle City about his hatred... he was somewhat right, but also wrong. Everyone has his or her reason to play."

Mokuba blinked when he heard Yugi said that. "Yeah? Do you got an idea why Seto does it, Yugi?"

"Just a guess, Mokuba, but I feel your brother Duels because he enjoys it AND he also feels it validates his own strength, given how he can be a lone wolf at times. But I'm not enlightened enough or arrogant enough to say that is why. It could be a number of reasons. Me... I play 'cause it's fun, and Taro is the same way." Yugi smiled.

Kaiba glared at Taro then scoffed. "A lucky shot, but I assure you, your last. My turn." Drawing his next card, Kaiba looked over his hand, trying to think of what to do. Before he could do anything, Kaibaman floated beside Kaiba, transparent as always, only Mokuba and Yugi noticing this.

"Hey. Seto! What the heck is wrong with you!? You see a good combo in front of your eyes and you're not gonna comtemplate it!? I thought you were some kind of champion Duelist even if you had to do descipable things for your Blue Eyes White Dragons!! Where is your brain today!?"

Kaiba twitched and turned to Kaibaman, snapping right at him. "Why should I play you!? It's not like you can be of any help with your weak ATK and DEF, Kaibaman!"

"Hey, you could at least consider reading my effect, you ignorant idiot!" Kaibaman snapped back in return, Kaiba getting frustrated and trying to grab at him.

Yugi blinked as he said "Is that... what I think it is"  
Horus appeared and landed on Yugi's shoulder, blinking. "Hey! It IS a Duel Monsters Spirit! Kaibaman? Weird... what the heck is he doing here?"

"You mean you know of him, Horus?"

"Yeah! He and me met, like, I dunno how long before the whole Doma thing! I didn't think he was made into a real card!!" Horus replied, blinking.

Looking at Yugi, Mokuba cried out. "Another one!"

"Wait, Mokuba!" Yugi blinked. "You mean... you can see Horus?"

"Ye-yeah... I can also see Kaibaman next to my brother! Long story, but Pegasus gave my brother that card and another one, and all of a sudden, he started appearing, talking to us, somethin' about being my brother's partner! I don't know what it means, but somethin' is not right, I think... this is just weird!"

Yugi blinked and looked over at the Duel, Kaiba still swapping at Kaibaman, Joey blinking. "OK... Kaiba's done lost his mind!"

"What is he swatting at? A fly?" Tristan blinked. "I didn't think that he'd be bothered by something so simple given his rather calm attitude."

T? blinked also. "This is very unusual indeed. What is going on?"

"I don't know... this is most odd... most odd indeed..." Solomon replied.

Suki was confused as well, but Yuu had a hunch of what was going on. Slowly, Suki turned to Yuu and touched his left arm. "Yuu... what is it? You seem very... thoughtful all of a sudden. Or like you have a feeling of what is going on."

"I have theories, Suki. While I was traveling, I had been trying to discover the truth. About Duel Monsters. Sometimes, I wondered what Pegasus learned from the truth about them in Egypt... as well as if there was more. Exploring all kinds of catacombs, I came to find out that Duel Monsters were real. In Arizona, I saw cave drawings depicting some Duel Monsters... in Paris, near the Arc de Triumphe, in Hong Kong, London, Quebec, and more. So perhaps... that the essence of the Duel Monsters is present." Yuu replied.

Suki looked at Yuu then turned back to the Duel. After finishing his arguement with Kaibaman, Kaiba showed Taro his next card and smiled. "I activate my own copy of Pot of Greed, getting to draw 2 cards with ease." Drawing two cards, Kaiba now had 6 cards in his hand. Looking at his new cards, Kaiba saw he had drawn Familiar Knight. His hand also had Kaibaman, Rare Metal Dragon, Blue Eyes White Dragon, Ring of Destruction, and Enraged Battle Ox.

Taking his Monster of choice, Kaiba smiled and said "I play Familiar Knight in Defense Mode!"

Appearing on the field a was a knight with silver armor, except for his neck, arms, and legs, as well as a crimson red cape along his back, a sword in his left hand, a shield in the right, red eyes glowing under the helmet as he kneeled down over his horizontal Duel Monsters card.

FAMILIAR KNIGHT Dark/Warrior/3/1200 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, each player can Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from their hand.

"Turn end!"

"My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Taro got a Normal Monster, showing it to Kaiba. His Normal Monster was Gradius. "1 Normal Monster means I get to draw a card!" Drawing another card, Taro saw he had Golgoil, another Normal Monster! Showing it to Kaiba, Taro smiled. "And once more, from the top!" Drawing his next card, Taro got X-Head Cannon and smiled, showing it to Kaiba. "And again!" And lastly, Taro drew Graceful Charity, his hand size now at 6 cards. He took Graceful Charity from his hand and showed it to Kaiba. "Now I play the Magic Card, Graceful Charity, which as you know lets me draw 3 cards, then discard 2 from my hand."

Closing his eyes, Taro drew his 3 cards, then opened them, taking Gradius and his newly drawn Mighty Guard from his hand, discarding them to the Graveyard, his hand now having 6 again. Taro exhaled and said "Inpachi, attack Familiar Knight!"

Hearing Taro's command, Inpachi charged and punched Familiar Knight, destroying it as Kaiba smiled. "Now, as is Familiar Knight's effect, we both can Special Summon 1 Level 4 Monster from our hands to the Field! Here is mine!"

In a flash, a dragon with no wings appeared onto the Field. This one, on all fours, roared, having black armor along its' back and around its' head, as well as near its' claws, but the rest of its' body was green skinned. As well as a yellow horn, yellow claws, and yellow on the back of its' arms as it snarled.

"Allow me to introduce you to Rare Metal Dragon! 2400 ATK, 1200 DEF! Are you scared? If not, you should be..." Kaiba smiled.

RARE METAL DRAGON Dark/Dragon/4/2400 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set.

"Hey, wait a minute! How can a Level 4 have 2400 ATK!? That's reserved for more higher level Monsters like Red Eyes or Psycho Shocker!" Joey replied.  
"Yeah, or my Thunder Giant!" Tristan replied. "So how can a Level 4 Monster have 2400 ATK!?"

Kaiba scoffed at the reactions from the two members of the peanut gallery as he began to explain. "Hmph. Rare Metal Dragon is one of the few Level 4 Monsters with the highest ATK. The other one is Armor EXE. Both have drawbacks to their names. Rare Metal Dragon's effect is I cannot Normal Summon or Set it, so Special Summoning is the only option. Familiar Knight is just one of the ways I can do it."

"OK, OK, enough on that! Nice move, I gotta say!" Taro grinned. "I did think you had a solid Level 4 in your hand, but then again, so do I! I Special Summon X-Head Cannon in Defense Mode!"

X-Head Cannon appeared onto Taro's side of the Field, arms crossed over its' chest, its' cannons pointing skyward, its' card turned horizontally underneath it. Taro knew he was in trouble but he had to stay calm if he wanted to win. Kaiba smiled and said "Going to defense are we?"

"Yeah, it's all I got... OK... I'll just end my turn now." Taro replied, exhaling. Kaiba smiled. "My turn! Draw!" Looking at his cards, Kaiba saw he had Ring of Defense now. He took it and said "I will set a card face-down, and then I will summon Enraged Battle Ox!!"

Suddenly, another Battle Ox appeared... but this one's chest armor was red and gold as was its' wristbands, and its' shoulder armor was red and gold as well as its' lower mid-waist armor and its' boots. Its' brown fur was now a more red-brown, its' eyes glowing red as it snorted and roared loudly.

ENRAGED BATTLE OX Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/1700 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the Field, when Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Bird-Type Monsters on your side of the Field attack with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Enraged Battle Ox has the effect of Piercing Battle Damage, allowing me to inflict damage to your Life Points when your Defense Mode Monsters have lower DEF than the attack of Enraged Battle Ox, and it also gives that power to any Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Bird-Type Monsters on my side of the Field!" Kaiba smiled.

Taro looked with no worries, which somewhat surprised Kaiba a bit. But Kaiba scoffed, thrusting his arm forward. "Rare Metal Dragon! Attack Inpachi"  
Rare Metal Dragon's mouth began to glow softly, Kaiba crying out its' attack name. "Rare Metal Burst!"

Rare Metal Dragon's mouth began to open, the inner workings glowing, shards of gold and silver spiralling outward, impaling Inpachi rapidly, causing it to explode, Taro crying out, his arms covered over his body, his Life Points dropped by 800 points to 2500 points. Taro knew he'd lose 200 more if Enraged Battle Ox attacked his X-Head Cannon.

"Heh! Enraged Battle Ox! Take out that X-Head Cannon!" Enraged Battle Ox roared, charging as fast as it could right at X-Head Cannon, leaping up into the air, pulling its' axe upward. "Axe Crusher of Rage!!" Kaiba's voice cried out. Mokuba grinned when he saw how fast his brother had dealt more damage. "Go for it big brother!!"

"Not gonna happen so easily! Trap Card! Draining Shield!" Taro cried out, Draining Shield's card flipping face-up, as a green barrier wrapped around Taro and X-Head Cannon, Enraged Battle Ox's axe smashing right into the barrier. "Thanks to the effect of Draining Shield, your attack's null and void AND I also get 1700 Life Points, putting me up at 4200 points."

Taro grinned, his Duel Disk's Life Point counter rolling from 2500 to 4200, a sigh coming from his lips as he wiped his forehead. Kaiba gritted his teeth, clenching his fist slightly. "Hmph. Once more, luck seems to be your saving grace. I will set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Two Duel Monsters cards appeared behind Kaiba's Monsters as he smiled. "Your move."

"Right. My turn!" Drawing his next card, Taro smiled, seeing he got Z-Metal Tank! And he also remembered his other XYZ combos. Now was the time to get one of them out. Taking Z-Metal Tank, Taro grinned and said "I summon Z-Metal Tank in Attack Mode"  
Z-Metal Tank's treads revved as it landed on the ground, rolling next to X-Head Cannon.

"Now, I remove X-Head Cannon and Z-Metal Tank from play and combine them!" X shot into flight, Z-Metal Tank's back panel sliding backwards as X landed onto Z's back, locking into place as Taro grinned. "Kaiba! Get ready to meet XZ-Tank Cannon!"

XZ-TANK CANNON Light/Machine-Fusion/6/2400 ATK/2100 DEF "X-Head Cannon" + "Z Metal Tank"  
Effect: This Monster can only be Special Summoned by removing from play the above Monsters on your side of the Field. You do not use "Polymerization" to Special Summon this Monster from your Fusion Deck. Discard 1 card from your hand to destroy 1 face-down Magic or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field.

"XZ-Tank Cannon!" Kaiba blinked. "I knew that X, Y, and Z had more Fusions to them. But why use them if they are more situational than the powerful XYZ-Dragon Cannon"  
"Sometimes in the right sitch, you need one more than another! And that's one of these times! Since I got 5 cards in my hand, I'll just discard 2!" Taro took two of his cards, sliding them into his Graveyard slot and said "XZ-Tank Cannon, take down Kaiba's set cards! Mega Destruction!!"

X-Head Cannon's cannons locked into place, as Z-Metal Tank's came out, both firing blasts at Kaiba's set cards, Ring of Destruction and Ring of Defense. Taro grinned then said "XZ-Tank Cannon! Attack Enraged Battle Ox"  
XZ-Tank Cannon aimed once more shooting a spiralling blast of vulcan energy from its' cannons, ripping Enraged Battle Ox's torso from its' legs, destroying it, and dropping Kaiba's Life Points by 700 points to 1700. Kaiba gritted his teeth as Taro smiled and said "I'm done for now!"

"My turn..." Kaiba drew his next card, getting Card of Demise... his hand also still had Kaibaman and Blue Eyes White Dragon. He closed his eyes, a sense of frustration overcoming him. 'What good can a Monster with 200 ATK and 700 DEF do for me? Pegasus made you so weak to mock me, I just know it! Why do this!?" Kaiba then opened his eyes and looked at Kaibaman, reading it. "...Sacrifice this card to..." Kaiba's eyes then widened when he finally got it... "Special Summon 1 Blue Eyes White Dragon from your hand..."

KAIBAMAN Light/Warrior/3/200 ATK/700 DEF Effect: Sacrifice this card to Special Summon 1 "Blue Eyes White Dragon" from your hand.

"Now do you get it? This is why I was made so weak. It's just how I am..." Kaibaman replied, his back to Kaiba, arms crossed. "It's to call out your strongest, one of your best. Me being here is fitting as your partner since I can help you out a lot mroe than you realized before you so pompously assumed I was worthless... now... you wanna give me a try? See if we can turn this around?"

Kaiba looked at Kaibaman, scoffed for a moment, then nodded. "I summon Kaibaman in Attack Mode!" Appearing in a flash of light, Kaibaman stood next to Rare Metal Dragon, arms crossed.

"Huh? He actually... played it...?!" Mokuba blinked. "Why is big brother playing Kaibaman? Did he figure something out about Kaibaman?"

"Now, I will use Kaibaman's effect! I sacrifice him!" Kaibaman began to glow as Taro blinked. "What the heck is this"  
Kaiba took Blue Eyes White Dragon from his hand and held it up. "With Kaibaman's effect, I sacrifice him and I Special Summon Blue Eyes White Dragon from my hand!"

Kaibaman then disappeared, and taking his place was the infamous Blue Eyes White Dragon, wings spread, its' mouth open, bearing its' teeth as it let out a mighty roar, landing down next to Rare Metal Dragon. Kaiba smiled, showing his Magic Card to Taro. "Now I activate the Magic Card! Card of Demise! I can now draw 5 cards from my Deck, but in 5 turns, I have to discard my entire hand to the Graveyard. But I'm sure I won't need 5 turns!"

Drawing his 5 cards quickly, Kaiba fanned them out, smiling. His hand now had Different Dimension Dragon, Megamorph, Ray of Hope, Negate Attack, and Deck Devastation Virus.

DIFFERENT DIMENSION DRAGON Light/Dragon/5/1200 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: The effect of a Magic or Trap Card cannot destroy this card unless the Magic or Trap Card specifically designates this card as a target. This card cannot be destroyed as a result of Battle when this card battles with a Monster with an ATK of 1900 points or less.

MEGAMORPH Equip Magic Card Effect: If your Life Points are lower than your opponent's, the original ATK of a Monster equipped with this card is doubled. If your Life Points are higher, the original ATK is halved.

RAY OF HOPE Normal Trap Card Effect: Select 2 LIGHT Monsters from your Graveyard and add them to your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck.

DECK DEVASTATION VIRUS Normal Trap Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 face-up DARK Monster with an ATK of 2000 points or more on your side of the Field. Check all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field, your opponent's hand, and all cards he/she draws (until the end of your opponent's 3rd turn after this card's activation), and destroy all Monsters with an ATK of 1500 or less.

"Hmph. I now activate the Magic Card, Megamorph! When my Life Points are lower than my opponent's, I can double the ATK of a Monster equipped with Megamorph by its' original ATK! But when my Life Points are higher than my opponent's, the ATK is halved! I equip Blue Eyes White Dragon with Megamorph, making its' ATK 6000!!"

In a bright flash, Blue Eyes White Dragon grew to twice its' normal size, its' stats now 6000/2500! Everyone observing the Duel looked on in shock as Taro looked on and thought "Oh, man... this is it! If Kaiba attacks, I'm boned!"

Mokuba smiled at this. "So, this is why Pegasus made Kaibaman! He did it to help my big brother! Sorry to say it, Yugi, but your cousin's in trouble"  
"Naw. Taro's fine. He may lose, but he'll bounce up again. He knows winning and losing are just part of the game, and getting disappointed when you've lost is not the end of the world." Yugi smiled. "Just wait and see."

Taro chuckled and grinned. "OK, I'm done, Kaiba! Finish me off"  
Kaiba blinked in surprise at what Taro had said. "You've accepted your defeat"  
"Yeah! I mean, gettin' upset is not gonna help me! I'll just bounce back up to my feet, and get ready for my next Duel! That's what it means to be a pretty strong Duelist. I know that I've lost before, and it ain't the end of the world!"

Kaiba blinked still, but smiled. "Fine. Now it's time to end this Duel! Rare Metal Dragon, attack XZ-Tank Cannon!!" Rare Metal Dragon roared, charging forward, XZ-Tank Cannon charging forward too, both smashing hard into one another, sparks flying until they then exploded, both destroyed, leaving Taro wide open. "Blue Eyes White Dragon! Direct Attack! BURST... STREAM... OF... DESTRUCTION!!"

Blue Eyes White Dragon's mouth shined with a white burst of light, aiming at Taro, the blast of Burst Stream of Destruction shooting at Taro as Taro cried out, his LP just 4200 to Blue Eyes' 6000 ATK, wiping out Taro's LP as he stood there, panting, dropping to one knee.

Joey groaned, waving his arms around. "This sucks! I can't believe Taro lost to that guy! GAH"  
"Hey, take it easy, Joey!" Yugi replied.  
Taro looked over at Kaiba and just grinned, rubbing the top of his head. "Wow! I knew this was gonna be a tough Duel, but damn, you're good! I gotta admit, I was wonderin' if you were gonna turn that around or not! I mean, you are a champion Duelist, Kaiba, so I figured I was gonna lose, but I just had to wait and see HOW I was gonna lose!"

Kaiba chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I will admit this... you're not half-bad. Still lacking a bit perhaps, but other than that... I hate to admit, but you were a worthy opponent for a small fry."

Taro smiled, hands behind his head. "Thanks!"

Kaiba nodded, walking over towards Yugi. "Yugi. My invitation still stands. If you wish to face me at any time you feel ready to do so, meet me at KaibaCorp's headquarters. I'll be waiitng for you there... and then... we can see who is truly the best... after all, you did beat the God Cards... and I doubt Atem or I could have beaten all 3. Now I want to see if I can truly beat you... and become the King of Duelists. Mokuba!"

Mokuba nodded, taking his brother's briefcase. "Right, big brother!" Watching as his brother walked to the limosuine, Mokuba followed, entering it right behind Kaiba, the door closing as the limosuine drove off. Taro stretched and smiled. "Man, that was fun"  
"Fun?" Joey blinked. "OK, that was odd. The only real time I've had fun in a Duel was vs. that guy and another." With that said, Joey turned to Solomon slowly.

Solomon chuckled. "Loosen up, Joey, Duel Monsters doesn't need to be hardcore all the time. Taro did his best, and that is all that matters"  
"Yeah." Yugi replied, watching the limosuine drive off, his arms at his sides, Horus floating next to him. "Hey, Horus"  
"What's up, Yugi"  
"This changes everything, doesn't it? Now that we know another person out there has a Duel Monsters spirit..." Yugi asked.  
Horus nodded. "It is, Yugi... there could be more out there... and we won't know about them for a while I'm sure... even if we gotta fight some, it doesn't mean we can give up, right?"

"Right." Yugi nodded, arms at his sides.

Kaiba had his arms crossed, eyes closed in the limo. Kaibaman sat next to him, transparent as he said "Well, that went well"  
"Yes. I am surprised by your effect. I guess you're not utterly useless after all." Kaiba smiled, as Kaibaman glared at him. "What was that"  
Mokuba sighed a bit. "Oh, brother..."

And as the limosuine drove off to KaibaCorp Japan's offices, an arguement of sorts broke out between Kaiba and his new partner, meaning that there was a long road ahead before those two could really get along, but perhaps they would learn to trust in one another... but that didn't mean it was gonna be easy!!

-To Be Continued...- 


	24. Chapter 24

Episode 24 - Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan, the Weathering Volcano! Yugi vs Senbei Once Again

Sitting in his room, Senbei Nakamura had his eyes closed, his cards spread out in a nice line, as he was meditating. 'I wish to be the one to take Yugi Mutoh on again... I want to test my true power against him... the last time we had Dueled, that was just to measure his power and skills. This time, I intend to finish what I started...' Placing his right hand on the rest of his Deck, Senbei pulled a card off of it, then slapped it down with the rest of his cards. The card drawn was Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan. Opening his eyes, Senbei nodded. "Yes... this will be the card of fate! This will be what I use to crush your Deck! Count on it!"

Rumiko looked on and said "Brother... what are you planning to do"  
Senbei turned to Rumiko, standing up. "I am planning to do something I should have done for some time. I need you to give Yugi Mutoh a message for me when you go to school, Rumiko..."

At Domino High, Rumiko was eating some of her bento lunch, eyes closed, looking over to Yugi and his friends, just taking a bit of fried shrimp with her chopsticks into her mouth, chewing on it, then spitting the tail out. She had remembered the conversation she had with Senbei the day before... and just how her brother seemed... which was determined.

'Sister, I want you to give Yugi Mutoh a message for me. I'll be waiting for him tonight, in the town square by the clock at 6:00 PM tonight. Let him know that it's me waiting for him.'

'Senbei, you understand that Ms. Sarah will be furious if she finds out you went behind her back to do this!'

'Rumiko, as of today, for this Duel, I am not a Card Hunter. This Duel, all I am going to be is just myself, Senbei Nakamura, wanting to take Yugi Mutoh on in my own terms. I cannot deny the fact that I have my loyalty since Ms. Sarah gave us a chance no one else might have given us, but I cannot deny I wish to take Yugi on again. He was a most interesting opponent... and I wish to see how I measure up to the King of Duelists myself. That is why I am going to do this. Let him know, alright?'

Rumiko sighed to herslef back in the present, putting her chopsticks down as she walked over to Yugi, Joey, T?, Tristan, Taro, Duke, and Melody.  
"Yugi!"

Everyone heard that, turning slowly to face her as Yugi stepped forward. "Rumiko... what is it?"

"I came to tell you that my big brother, Senbei, wishes to have you meet him in the town square by the clock, tonight at 6 o' clock. That's what I came to tell you... and make sure to bring your Duel Disk."

Joey blinked, crossing his arms, glaring at Rumiko. "Sounds like a trap."

"Hold it, Joey." Yugi replied, as he stepped forward. "Senbei wants to face me in another Duel, I take it, Rumiko"  
Rumiko nodded. "Yeah. He does. That's all I need to tell you. Believe me or not, I don't care. I'm just the messenger." Turning her back to them, Rumiko walked off.

Duke scoffed then looked at Yugi. "Yugi, you gonna go? It could be a trap."

"Yeah, I am going to go, Duke. When I Dueled Senbei that first time, I was impressed by his skills, and I'm curious to take him on again." Yugi smiled.  
Taro blinked and said "OK, Yuge, I just hope nothin' bad happens to ya! I wouldn't want something to happen to you!"

"Taro, chill out. I'll be fine. I promise." Yugi smiled.  
T? looked at Yugi, resting her hand on her chest, as she said "Are you sure you want to go, Yugi? What if Joey's right and it's a trap?"

Yugi looked at her. "T?, I promise it won't be a trap"  
"Well, we're gonna be going with you, just to be on the safe side, and just in case somethin' bad does go down." Tristan added, smiling.

Melody nodded also. "That's right. It's what friends do, right?"

With T?, Joey, Taro, and Duke all crying out as one, Yugi smiled at this sight and thought to himself. 'Thanks, guys... that means a lot to me if you ask me... I'm grateful you guys are still here for me...'

At his house, Yugi was sorting through his Deck, taking cards here and there, thinking about it carefully. Taro observed him, sitting on his futon, legs crossed, hands on his knees. "OK, you almost done?"

"Taro, this kind of thing takes a bit of work, ya know? And I am... now done." Yugi smiled, holding his Deck up as he quickly sld it into the Deck holder around his belt, closing the top as he grabbed his blue jacket, sliding it on, then grabbed his Duel Disk, sliding it onto his right arm, with it in the closed position.

"Everyone's gonna be meeting us at the town square." Taro smiled, hopping to his feet, pointing to the door with his thumb. "So let's get outta here and go meet them to see you take this Senbei guy on once again, Yuge!"

Yugi nodded, Taro heading out of the door. Yugi exhaled and smiled at Horus, as Horus nodded, Yugi doing the same, both taking off. After making their way to the town square, Yugi and Taro came running to Joey, T?, Tristan, Duke, and Melody, Yugi waving. "Guys"  
Joey and the others all turned, Joey grinning. "There you guys are! We were wondering when you two were gonna show up here! It's almost 6 o' clock, Yugi... and there's quite a few other people around. Think Senbei will show up?"

"I got a hunch he will." Yugi smiled, getting his Duel Disk ready. Duke sat on a bench nearby and sighed, arms on his knees. "I think that this will be just odd... I mean, I get that Rumiko's a Card Hunter and all so we can't trust 'em given what they want to do, right. So how come Yugi is so calm and relaxed about something like this?"

"It's just how he is, Duke." Taro smiled. "Yugi's not afraid of anything anymore, I'm sure... not after what he's done while holding the Millennium Puzzle at least. And besides, he just loves to Duel for fun without worrying about winning and losing. He looks forward to this, I am sure."

Tristan had his arms crossed also. "Still, here of all places to Duel? I mean, I can get that this is where Battle City began a few months ago... but..."

"Yes. Something about this does seem a tad bad... yet odd also." T? replied. Melody nodded also, until Yugi turned, seeing Senbei standing out in front of the group.

"Yugi. I've been waiting for you. Good timing... it's almost 6. I see Rumiko gave you my message?" Senbei replied, rubbing his neck softly with his right hand. "I'm kind of surprised since I was going to assume you wouldn't come at all... given last time. That was following orders for the Card Hunters' leader. Today..." Senbei raised up his right arm again, his Duel Disk locking into the ready position, a smile crossing his lips. "I am just myself! Senbei Nakamura! That's all I want now is a shot at you again, Yugi! Are you ready?"

Yugi nodded and said "Guys, you might wanna get back... this is gonna get intense."

Taro nodded, as he, Joey, T?, Tristan, Duke, and Melody stepped back, Yugi pulling his Deck out, getting his Duel Disk into the ready position at the same time. Senbei pulled his Deck out as well, both slamming their Decks into the Deck Holders of their Duel Disks, the Life Point counters of their Duel Disks rolling to 8000, both of them shouting out "DUEL!!"

After that, both drew their 5 starting cards, as Yugi said "You can start, Senbei"  
"No, Yugi... I'd rather have you go first. That is, if you don't mind?" Replied Senbei, eyes closed.  
Yugi blinked at this and exhaled, but nodded. "OK. It's my turn!" Drawing his sixth card rather quickly, Yugi looked at his hand, seeing his options as he nodded. "I summon Giant Rat in Defense Mode!"

Appearing onto the Field with its' Duel Monsters card turned horizontally, Giant Rat let out a cry, holding the skull it usually carried with it in its' paws, looking over at Senbei. "Next..." Yugi took another card from his hand and slid it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I will set a card face-down! That's the end of my turn!"

Senbei looked on. 'Earth. 1 out of 4. Let me see if my Deck can give me what I need.' Looking at Yugi, he then spoke aloud. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Senbei looked to see he had drawn Great Angus. Smiling, Senbei nodded. 'Fire... but before I attempt to let Yugi see my tactic, I'll attack his Giant Rat so I can see if he plans to use his Gadgets, like he did the first time, or something new.'

"I summon Great Angus in Attack Mode!"

Letting out a mighty roar, a jet of steam coming from its' nose, its' tusks pointing upward as it roared, Great Angus slammed one of its' feet down onto the ground, Senbei closing his eyes then opening them as he said "Great Angus, attack Giant Rat!"

Great Angus roared at the command of its' Duelist, charging at Giant Rat, leaping into the air and driving its' right claw deep into Giant Rat's body, destroying it, and leaving Yugi open, but Yugi smiled and said "Now I activate Giant Rat's effect, and Special Summon an Earth Attribute Monster from my Deck with an ATK of 1500 points or less! My Monster of choice is Alpha the Magnet Warrior!"

Pulling a card out of his Deck, Yugi showed it to Senbei, until a flash of light overcame the Field, and there stood a tall, grey metallic-looking Monster, a curved magnet around its' head as its' face, with a kind of bladed fin at the top of its' head, as well as magnets around its' shoulders slightly, a shield in its' right hand, a sword in its' left hand, as well as two marks on its' knee area, both blue and with the letters N (on the left side) and S (on the right). Slashing the air, Alpha landed down in front of Yugi as Yugi smiled and said "Trap Card, activate! Soul Rope! Since Giant Rat was destroyed, now I'll pay 1000 Life Points and Special Summon another Monster from my Deck, this one needing to be Level 4!"

His Life Point counter rolling from 8000 to 7000, Yugi pulled his Deck out again, searching for a Level 4 Monster to Special Summon. Looking at his cards, he pulled out his card of choice and said "Now I Special Summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode!"

Appearing next to Alpha, a smaller Monster with a yellow body, rounded head and hands, the hands have the two ends of a magnet, as well as having almond-shaped feet, orb-like knees, and black eyes, with the ends of magnets at the top of its' heads, Beta landed down on the ground as Yugi said "Since I've used Giant Rat's effect, now I need to shuffle my Deck!"

Pulling his Deck out, Yugi began to shuffle it thoroughly, sliding his Deck back into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, Senbei smiling, speaking aloud. "Well, well, Yugi, I'm impressed. And here, I thought you were going to use the Gadgets, like you did in our first Duel. I must say though, getting out the three Magnet Warriors... well, two so far... why go for this path?"

"What? You didn't think I was gonna do the same thing twice against the same opponent, did you?" Chuckled Yugi, smiling, holding his cards. "And you didn't use the same strategy this time either, so that means we both knew we were going to try different things this time around."

Senbei nodded, smiling. "Correct. That's what it truly means to Duel. To try new things, and see how it works out for you. Now, I will set a card face-down." Taking a card from his hand, Senbei slid it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, slashing his arm against the air. "Turn end! Now then, Duel King, let's see what you've really got."

"With pleasure!" Yugi placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, seeing he had drawn Pot of Greed. Looking at his hand, he noticed he had his combo ready to go and now... he was ready to execute it.

Taro looked on and whistled. "This Senbei guy still knows how to use Beatdown and yet, Yugi's using a whole new tactic. He's got Alpha, who's got 1400 Attack, and Beta who's got 1700 Attack, but Senbei's still got Great Angus with 1800 Attack. I sure hope Yugi's got the best of the Magnet Warriors in hand or else he could be boned."

"No worries." Joey grinned. "Yugi's a hell of a Duelist so I wouldn't be surprised if he took this guy down easily"  
T? looked on at the Duel, rather intently, Melody, Taro, and Tristan noticing, as Tristan placed his hand on T?'s shoulder. "Hey, T?. Relax. It's OK. No need to worry about Yugi. He'll be fine."

T? gasped, then turned to Tristan, shaking her head. "I'm not worried. I'm just wondering what Senbei is up to. Yugi told me last time that it seemed Senbei wanted to finish the Duel as fast as he could, but this time around, it's different... it's as if Senbei has some kind of grander plan... and I wondered if Yugi has noticed this."

Melody blinked. "What kind of grander plan do you think it is, T"  
"I don't know, Melody... but something tells me that Senbei has a deeper plan to this Duel at this point..." T? replied, resting her closed right hand softly on her chest.

Yugi took Pot of Greed and showed it to Senbei. "Now I activate this Magic Card from my hand! Pot of Greed!" In a flash of light after being slipped into his Duel Disk's Magic / Trap Card Zone, Pot of Greed appeared in front of Alpha and Beta. Yugi then drew two cards off the top of his Deck, smiling. "You know Pot of Greed's effect given the play it gets in almost all Decks, Senbei! Now I get to draw 2 cards from my Deck! And there's that!" Pot of Greed swiftly exploded, as Yugi looked to see his draws. He smiled and made his move, taking one of his drawn cards, placing it on his Monster Card Zone, between Alpha and Beta. "Now I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode!"

Another rounded magnetic-like Monster appeared, punching the air with its' silver metallic fists, its' rounded torso a nice red color, with almond-shaped feet much like Beta's, with wings on its' back, two circles along the top, one with N and the other with S, as well as a magnet on the top of its' torso.

ALPHA THE MAGNET WARRIOR Earth/Rock/4/1400 ATK/1700 DEF

BETA THE MAGNET WARRIOR Earth/Rock/4/1700 ATK/1600 DEF

GAMMA THE MAGNET WARRIOR Earth/Rock/4/1500 ATK/1800 DEF

"Alright!" Joey cried out. "Yugi's got Alpha, Beta, and Gamma on the Field! He's got the Monster advantage"  
"Not yet." T? replied. "He will need Valkyrion the Magna Warrior to really take the field. Don't think that Yugi can win immediately just because of how good he is"  
Joey blinked at this sight. "Ooookay... you feelin' alright?"

"Yeah." T? smiled. "I'm OK. I'm just being honest. And I'm keeping an eye on this Duel, just to make sure Yugi does alright, and to see if my theory about Senbei having a grander scheme is true"  
Senbei raised an eyebrow at this, as Yugi smiled and said "Here goes! Now I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, AND Gamma to make a Special Summon!"

Senbei looked on and thought 'So... it's just as I thought... he's calling that out'  
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma all leapt up into the air at once, an orb of light wrapping around the trio, Yugi pulled another of his cards from his hand and showed it to Senbei. "I Special Summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior in Attack Mode!!"

The orb of light soon dispelled and crashing down onto the ground, feet planted hard onto the ground as a larger magnet warrior, having somewhat of the body design of Alpha, with what appeared to be Beta's head, shaped around the face like a mask, yellow eyes glowing under the black visor, Gamma's wings along the back, the bottom of its' feet colored like Gamma's wings, with the same circular areas as Alpha, these ones in yellow, a larger sword with a circle along the bottom of the blade, N on one side, S on the other, as well as a small part at the bottom of the handle that looked like Beta's fist. Valkyrion slashed the air fiercely, standing valiantly with its' sword tight in its' left hand.

Valkyrion was one of Yugi's strongest Level 8 Monsters, with an ATK of 3500 points, and a DEF of 3850 points, easily making it his best Defense Monster of a high Level. Yugi knew very well why he was summoning Valkyrion. He knew if Senbei's set card didn't disrupt Valkyrion, he could attack, and drop his Life Points by 1700 points.

VALKYRION THE MAGNA WARRIOR Earth/Rock/8/3500 ATK/3850 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only first be Special Summoned by Sacrificing "Alpha the Magnet Warrior", "Beta the Magnet Warrior", and "Gamma the Magnet Warrior" from your hand or your side of the Field. If "Alpha the Magnet Warrior", "Beta the Magnet Warrior", and "Gamma the Magnet Warrior" exist in the Graveyard, you can Sacrifice this card to Special Summon these 3 cards to the Field.

Taro whistled and grinned. "Man! That is so boss that Yugi got Valkyrion out! But... Senbei's set card... I dunno about it... it could be something big for all we know. Yugi better be careful"  
"Valkyrion!" Yugi cried out, thrusting his hand forward. "Attack Great Angus!" At Yugi's command, Valkyrion flew forward, like a rocket, pulling its' sword back. "Magnet Saber!!"

"It's not that easy." Senbei smiled. "Counter Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack!" Suddenly, Valkyrion's sword stopped inches in front of Great Angus, Senbei smiling, waving his index finger playfully. "Nice try, but you know I won't let you get the advantage that easily, Yugi Mutoh. Don't forget our last Duel... that was a very close one too, and you know that... but I told you... today, I'm not a Card Hunter... I'm just myself."

Yugi sighed a bit, wiping his brow. "OK. Since you've stopped my Battle Phase, I think I'll just end my turn for now"  
"See, I knew it. Somethin' about Senbei's card wasn't right. But then again... he's different this time..." Taro blinked. 'What're you up to, Senbei? You seem to be stalling... but why?'

Watching from a building, Rumiko had her hands intertwined, eyes closed. 'Please, be careful, big brother, and do your best... I also hope Sarah doesn't find out about you going behind her back...'

"My turn. Draw." Senbei drew his next card, seeing he had his key card, and just one copy of it. It was Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan. Senbei looked at the rest of his hand, seeing his other Monsters. He needed to get at least Water or Wind. He nodded, seeing Gagagigo, and took it, placing it onto his Monster Card Zone next to Great Angus. "Now I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode!"

Appearing next onto the Field was a green lizard with its' jaw sticking out slightly, its' teeth showing somewhat too, as well as spikes along its' back, elbows, and knees and shoulders, light cloth around its' wrists and ankles as it cracked its' tail.

GAGAGIGO Water/Reptile/4/1850 ATK/1000 DEF

"Next, I will set two cards face-down." In a flash, two Duel Monsters cards appeared onto Senbei's side of the Field right behind Gagagigo and Great Angus, Senbei rolling his neck. "Now... that'll end my turn."

Yugi nodded. "My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking at his next card, thinking of what he could do. Yugi exhaled, and said "OK, here we go! I'll play the Magic Card, Graceful Charity!" Sliding Graceful Charity into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, Yugi quickly drew 3 cards, having 7 cards in his hand.

Next, Yugi took two cards, discarding them to the Graveyard, his hand size now 5 cards as he smiled. "Due to Graceful Charity, I drew 3 cards from my Deck and discarded 2 cards in my hand to the Graveyard. And now! I play one of my drawn cards, Fusion Sage! This Magic Card lets me add 1 copy of Polymerization from my Deck to my hand!"

Pulling his Deck out, Yugi then pulled out one of his two copies of Polymerization, adding it to his hand, then he spoke up once more. "Next, I will shuffle my Deck since I've used Fusion Sage's effect." Shuffling his Deck, Yugi then slipped his Deck carefully into his Deck Holder slot, exhaling as he smiled, then took 3 cards from his hand, holding them up.

"Now I play Polymerization, sending Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and Berfomet from my hand to the Graveyard, Fusion Summoning Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast to my side of the Field in Attack Mode!!" Cried out Yugi, taking Chimera's card and slapping it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone.

Hearing this, Senbei smiled. 'Good! That's the last one!'

In a roar, Chimera appeared onto the Field next to Valkyrion, both heads letting a snarl forth, but Senbei smiled. "Perfect. Now, Yugi, you will get to see a whole new tactic from me. You see... I've been waiting... for there to be 4 Attributes on the FIeld. And now, they're here."

"Four?" Asked Yugi, blinking. "But... lemme see... I have Earth with Valkyrion... Wind with Chimera..."

"And I have Fire with Great Angus and Water with Gagagigo. The four main elements of western mythology, Yugi. Together, they are the forces of nature... earth to represent the ground we humans walk on... fire which we used to cook our meals and keep us warm before the discovery of electricity... wind for power and a gentle breeze, as well as air to breathe... and water, to drink and swim in to keep us alive too. There was a Trap Card made for this game that made use of these 4 Attributes... an experiment Pegasus J. Crawford and the team of Duel Monsters made, much like how Exodia the Forbidden One and Gate Guardian were experiments of their time. This card is one I've been preparing just for you, Yugi Mutoh. But I have said too much. It's time! Trap Card, activate! Fuh... Rin... Ka... Zan!!"

Suddenly, one of Senbei's set cards flipped up, revealing itself as Yugi blinked. "Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan"  
"What the heck is goin' on?" Joey asked, crying out when a sudden wind blew across the field, everyone else crying out, the people passing by now stopping to look at the Duel, the wind growing fiercer as the samurai style armor on the card art of Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan appeared, the white hair blowing in the wind.

FUH-RIN-KA-ZAN Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card when there are at least 1 Monster each of WIND, WATER, FIRE, and EARTH Attributes face-up on the Field. Select and resolve 1 of the following effects:  
-Destroy all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field.  
-Destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on your opponent's side of the Field.  
-Randomly discard 2 cards from your opponent's hand.  
-Draw 2 cards.

Senbei closed his eyes and began to explain. "Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan... the Weathering Volcano... 4 Attributes of Monster... 1 of each at least to activated. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. And now, I can select and resolve one of 4 effects, Yugi. I choose Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan's first effect! And destroy all Monsters on your side of the Field!"

The armor slowly stood up, slamming its' hands against one another, then eyes glowing red. "FUH!!" it seemed to cry out, a violent gust of wind spiralling all over the Field, slicing Valkyrion and Chimera right in half, destroying them easily, a big explosion occuring from their destruction, Yugi crying out at the destruction of his Monsters, his arms over his body. Looking outward, Yugi looked across to see Senbei, who smiled and said "Now you see the true power of my Deck, Yugi! And that was just the icing on the cake! Soon, I will beat you! I can guarantee it!"

Senbei soon enough began to laugh, as Yugi knew the situation sure seemed tough... but he couldn't give up here. He'd beaten Senbei before, but this time, Senbei seemed to be much more prepared than he was last time. And now... with his Monsters gone, Yugi could be in a tight spot.

-To Be Continued...- 


	25. Chapter 25

Episode 25 - The Miracle of Armed Dragon! Yugi vs. Senbei Once Again

Yugi's side of the Field was empty at the moment... with him having 2 cards in his hand, his Life Points at 7000 thanks to playing Soul Rope earlier. Meanwhile, Senbei had 2 Monsters, Great Angus with 1800/600, and Gagagigo with 1850/1000. And Senbei also had a set card still... Senbei also had 2 cards in his hand, smiling.

"Wow... who would have thought such a powerful Trap Card was out there, even with those kinds of restrictions to it..." Taro replied.  
Duke nodded. "Yeah... Senbei just managed to clear Yugi's entire field of Monsters in a heartbeat. He's good"  
"Don't give him too much credit. He destroyed Chimera, so Yugi gets Chimera's effect and can Special Summon Gazelle or Berfomet from his Graveyard." Joey smiled.  
Tristan nodded. "I forgot about that. But at least Yugi can protect himself."

"Thanks to you destroying Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast with the effect of Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan, Senbei, I now get to Special Summon one of its' Fusion Material Monsters to the Field from my Graveyard. And I Special Summon Berfomet to the Field in Defense Mode!"

Appearing horizontally on the Field, Berfomet's Duel Monsters card soon enough was followed by the real McCoy, who was kneeling down, bearing teeth. Yugi then took a card from his hand and held it up. "I now activate another Magic Card! Twinkle 5 Star"  
In a flash, Berfomet disappeared, 5 orbs of light appearing on Yugi's side of the Field as he pulled his Deck out. "Twinkle 5 Star only works when I have a Level 5 Monster on my side of the Field and I sacrifice it! Now I can Special Summon 5 specific Monsters from my Deck!"

In a flash, Yugi moved 5 Monster Cards onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone and smiled, leaping into the air. "Now, introducing the Kuriboh Brothers! Kuriboh, Kuribi, Kuriba, Kuribe, and Kuribu!"

In a flash, 5 Kuribohs appeared onto the Field, one brown, one white, one purple, one pink, and one green. All of them turned as one and let out a cute little cry of "Kuri, Kuri!"

TWINKLE 5 STAR (English Name: 5 Star Twilight)  
Normal Magic Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 Level 5 Monster on your side of the Field. Special Summon "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" from your Deck to the Field. While on the Field with one another, "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" cannot be used as Sacrifices for any cards, except to Special Summon "Kuribabylon".

KURIBI Dark/Demon/1/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: If "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", or "Kuribe" are the target of attack, you can lower the ATK of the attacking Monster to 0 and negate the attack. This card cannot be used in a Sacrifice Summon except for Special Summoning "Kuribabylon".

KURIBU Dark/Demon/1/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: When you discard 1 Trap Card from your hand to the Graveyard during your Main Phase, decrease the ATK of 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field by 1500 points until the End Phase of the turn. This card cannot be used in a Sacrifice Summon except for Special Summoning "Kuribabylon".

KURIBA Dark/Demon/1/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: If you Sacrifice a face-up "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" by "Kuriba"'s effect, Special Summon 1 "Kuribabylon" from your hand or Deck to the Field. This card cannot be used in a Sacrifice Summon except for Special Summoning "Kuribabylon".

KURIBE Dark/Demon/1/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: If you remove a face-up "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" from play, you can Special Summon 1 "Kuribandit" from your hand or Deck to the Field. This card cannot be used in a Sacrifice Summon except for Special Summoning "Kuribabylon".

Taro whistled and looked in awe. "That's a heckuva lot of Kuribohs"  
"I'll say!" Melody added.

"Now all I got is one card, and I activate it! Coins from Heaven, aka Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw 'til we have 6 cards in our hands. I have 0 cards, so I get to draw 6, and you have 2, so you draw 4."

Senbei nodded. "Got it. Drawing his 4 cards, while Yugi drew his 6 cards. Looking over his six cards, Yugi smiled and said "Even if the Kuriboh Brothers aren't very strong, they can make a stronger Monster, Senbei. Lemme show you what I mean! I activate Kuriba's effect!" The purple Kuriboh, Kuriba, began to glow as he and his brothers leapt into the air, smashing into one another, then exploding in a cloud of pink smoke.

"And now I Special Summon Kuribabylon from my Deck in Attack Mode!"

KURIBABYLON Dark/Demon/5/? ATK/100 DEF Effect: This card must first be Special Summoned by Sacrificing a face-up "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" by "Kuriba"'s effect. The ATK of this card is the combined ATK of the offered "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe". When an attack this card has made is negated or you Sacrifice it face-up, you can Special Summon "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" from your Graveyard to the Field.

Appearing to be some kind of larger Kuriboh, Kuribabylon had a dark green color of fur, two small fangs showing, purple eyes with yellow irises, and a brown horn on the top of its' head with matching colored feet, as it let out a deep sounding "Kuri..." when it was summoned.

"Kuribabylon has an unknown ATK... but its' ATK is that of my Kuriboh Brothers, Senbei. 300 x 5 1500, so that is Kuribabylon's current attack."

Senbei blinked but then smiled. "A nice attempt, I must say, Yugi, but what good is a Monster with 1500 ATK going to do vs. 1 with 1800 and another with 1850"  
"Even a pawn can beat a queen. My dad taught me that when he taught me to play chess when I was 6. And I'm gonna show you how!" Taking a card from his hand, Yugi slid it into his Magic and Trap Card Zone. "Now I activate the Magic Card, Pump Up! This Magic Card doubles the ATK of 1 Monster on my side of the Field until the end of the turn, so I'll make Kuribabylon's ATK 3000 points now!"

PUMP UP Normal Magic Card Effect: Double the ATK of 1 Monster on your side of the Field until the end of this turn.

Kuribabylon's body began to glow with a yellow aura, as its' ATK went from 1500 to 3000. Yugi then thrusted his hand forward. "Kuribabylon! Attack Great Angus!"

Kuribabylon dashed forward, its' feet never touching the ground, as it then smashed hard into Great Angus, destroying it and dropping Senbei's Life Points by 1200 points to 5800. Senbei was unworried though as he smiled. Yugi then said "Next, I'll set a card face-down. That's the end of my turn!" Yugi smiled, Kuribabylon's attack points going down from 3000 to 1500, signifing the end of Pump Up's increase.

"My turn. Draw!" Senbei drew his next card, looking at it. "Now I Sacrifice Gagagigo and I Summon Hieracosphinx in Attack Mode"  
In a flash of light, Gagagigo disappeared and in its' place, a sphinx with sandy yellow for its' lion-like body, with black feathers along the top of its' body near its' head with its' head falcon-like, its' black wings spread out as it slammed its' paws onto the ground.

HIERACOSPHINX Earth/Rock/6/2400 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: When this card is face-up on the Field, your opponent cannot select face-down Defense Mode Monsters on your side of the Field as attack targets.

"Hieracosphinx! Attack Kuribabylon!" Senbei cried out, his Monster letting out a cry, charging forward, slashing across Kuribabylon, causing him to return into the Kuriboh Brothers before they all exploded, Yugi's Life Points dropped by 900 points to 6100. "Now I activate my set Trap Card! Call of the Haunted!"

Yugi cried out, as Call of the Haunted was flipped face-up, and Kuribabylon returned to the Field. "As you know, Call of the Haunted lets me Special Summon 1 Monster in my Graveyard to the Field in face-up Attack Mode and when Call of the Haunted is destroyed, my Monster is destroyed and vice versa, Senbei. But I got my reason for bringing Kuribabylon back from the Graveyard. You'll see soon enough."

Senbei nodded. "I know I will. I will now end my turn"  
"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, and said "Now I Sacrifice Kuribabylon and I will Special Summon Kuriboh, Kuribi, Kuriba, Kurbe, and Kuribu once again from my Graveyard!"

Exploding in a cloud of smoke once again, these with a cartoony-style "BOOM!!" sound effect, Kuriboh and his four brothers retook the Field, floating all in front of Yugi, Call of the Haunted disappearing as well since Kuribabylon wasn't on the Field any longer. "And now time for a new combo! Kuribe, effect activate!" Kuribe, the small green Kuriboh smacked first into his brothers, knocking them all around, everyone looking in shock.

"OK, what the heck is Yugi up to!?" Joey asked. "His Kuribohs are bouncing around like pinballs"  
"This combination was used by Atem before, Joey." Tristan replied. "Your soul was gone at the time, but the Kuribohs got another form besides Kuribabylon to show off"  
"I remember too! He used it vs. Raphael..." T? smiled. "Does Yugi have a similar plan?"

Soon enough, the Kuribohs all slammed into each other, and in their place was a black furred Kuriboh with two yellow fangs like Kuribabylon, as well as an eyepatch over its' right eye and a yellow bandana along the top of its' head, and claws and paws like Kuriboh's, with a blue left eye against a yellow iris.

"Come out, Kuribandit!" Yugi cried out as Kuribandit let out a cry of "Kuri!" almost as deep as Kuribabylon's. "Next up, I'll set a card face-down..." Yugi closed his eyes, as his set Duel Monsters card appeared behind Kuribandit as Yugi said "And now I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode."

Appearing next to his "big" brother, Winged Kuriboh let out a cute "Kuri" cry much like Kuriboh, Kuriba, Kuribi, Kuribe, and Kuribu would... if they hadn't been removed from play to Special Summon Kuribandit.

KURIBANDIT Dark/Demon/3/1000 ATK/700 DEF Effect: This card must first be Special Summoned by removing "Kuriboh", "Kuribi", "Kuribu", "Kuriba", and "Kuribe" on your side of the Field from play. While this card is face-up, you can Sacrifice it to draw 5 cards. Any Monster Cards you draw this way are immediately discarded to the Graveyard. This effect can be used during your opponent's turn as well.

"Turn end." Yugi said, having now 3 cards in his hand. "My turn then. Draw." Senbei looked at his drawn card, smiled at it and said "I summon Spear Dragon in Attack Mode"  
Floating right next to Hieracosphinx, Spear Dragon let out a cry as it spread its' wings out slightly. "Hieracosphinx, attack Kuribandit!!"

Hieracosphinx let out a caw, stampedeing forward once again, pulling its' claw back as Yugi gritted his teeth and said "Trap Card, activate! Shift!"

SHIFT Normal Trap Card Effect: You can activate this card when your opponent designates 1 Monster on your side of the Field as a target of a Magic, Trap, or battle attack. Switch the target to another Monster on your side of the Field.

"Shift only works when 1 of my Monsters is designated by your Magic, Trap, or attacks and I can shift it to another Monster! My target will be Winged Kuriboh!"

Hieracosphinx began to glow, its' claw about to swipe Kuribandit before it shifted and smashed into Winged Kuriboh, destroying it and protecting Yugi's LP via its' effect. Yugi cried out a bit as Senbei rubbed his chin. "Interesting... protecting your Life Points and yet losing cards. Interesting indeed, Yugi."

"Well, I can still draw. Let me show you! I Sacrifice Kuribandit to his effect! When he's Sacrificed to his effect, which can be done during my turn or your turn, I can draw 5 cards, but any Monster Cards I draw, I have to discard to the Graveyard. Here goes!" Kuribandit exploded, as Yugi drew 5 cards, looking over them to see what cards he'd gotten.

Taking his three Monster Cards and sliding them into his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, Yugi smiled and said "Now I have 5 cards in my hand thanks to Kuribandit's effect, Senbei"  
"Very well then. I'll set another card face-down... and end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Yugi smiled and said "One of the Monsters I discarded to the effect of Kuribandit is coming back to me, Senbei. Since it's my Standby Phase, I'll add Sinister Serpent back to my hand!" Sliding out of his Graveyard slot, Yugi grabbed Sinister Serpent, adding it to his hand to make his hand 7 cards now. Yugi looked at all other cards in his hand and said "I now will set a Monster face-down, and set one card face-down to end my turn!"

Two Duel Monsters cards appeared, one behind the other, the first one turned horizontally, face-down, the other one vertically and face-down too."

"My turn. Draw." Senbei replied, drawing his next card. Seeing his card, Senbei nodded. "I will set one Monster face-down. And thanks to Hieracosphinx, you can't attack any Monster of mine that is set in face-down Defense Mode while it is face-up. But now... Spear Dragon! Attack his set card!"

Spear Dragon's beak opened up, Senbei crying out the name of its' attack. "Spear Flash"  
A blast of wind spiralled at Yugi's face-down Monster, destroying it, revealing Penguin Soldier! Yugi cried out, losing 1400 points, dropping him from 6100 to 4700. Yugi groaned a bit and said "Now I'll return 2 Monsters on your side of the Field to your hand! MY choices are Hieracosphinx and Spear Dragon!"

In a flash of light, Hieracosphinx and Spear Dragon were gone, leaving Senbei's set Monster. Yugi wobbled a bit as Senbei said "Hmm. I cannot make a Normal Summon this turn. Very well then. I'll end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and said "I Normal Summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Breaker appeared onto Yugi's side of the Field, his ATK up to 1900.

"Yugi Normal Summoned Breaker... is he gonna use his effect?" Taro thought. "Senbei does have 2 cards set on his side of the Field..."

"Dunno, but whatever Yugi better do, he better do it soon.." Duke replied. "Senbei just had Spear Dragon and Hieracosphinx returned to his hand, and something tells me he'll get them summoned again... somehow, someway he will. I dunno how..."

Melody nodded. "I know... but Yugi is doing well so far, but so is Senbei. It's like they're almost equal matched so far"  
"I agree with you, Mel!" Taro nodded, arms crossed, eyes closed. "Senbei is toying a bit with Yugi, but Yugi himself seems to be getting set up for something too... I wonder what the heck is runnin' through the minds of these guys, and just what they are gonna be up to..."

Yugi soon began to explain. "Breaker the Magical Warrior's effect gives him a Magic Counter when I have Normal Summoned him, Senbei... making his ATK 1900, increased by 300 points, and if I remove that Magic Counter, his effect kicks in and I can destroy a Magic or Trap Card on the Field. I'll remove it, bringing him back down to 1600 points in Attack, then I will destroy your right set card!"

Breaker's sword began to glow, as he pulled it back then slashed the air, a blue blade of energy spiralling at Senbei's first set card, destroying Call of the Haunted as Senbei looked on. "Breaker, attack Senbei's set Monster!" Yugi cried out. Breaker cried out as well, flipping in the air, then slashing downward, splitting the card in half, and flipping up a small greyish demon with a spear in one hand, and bat-like wings on its' back.

The creature then exploded, Senbei smiling. "Nice move, Yugi. You've just flipped up Spear Cretin. When Spear Cretin's flipped and then sent to the Graveyard, its' effect activates, and we both Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyards in face-up Attack Mode or face-down Defense Mode! My Special Summon... is Great Angus!"

In a flash of light, Great Angus leapt out of a hole made in the earth and landed in front of Senbei. Yugi nodded and said "My Special Summon is Beta the Magnet Warrior." Out of a similar hole, Beta the Magnet Warrior leapt up and landed next to Breaker as Yugi now had two Monsters.

"But you destroyed Spear Cretin in Battle, and I get to activate my Trap Card! Grand Summon!, activate!" In a flash, Senbei's second card flipped face-up, showing an elderly-looking man holding his hand out and appearing before him as a Level 4 Monster; Spear Dragon to be exact.

GRAND SUMMON!  
Normal Trap Card Effect: This card can only be activated when 1 Monster on your side of the Field is destroyed as a result of battle. Both players can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from their Decks to the Field. The player's Decks are then shuffled.

"Now we both get to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster from our Decks to the Field! My Special Summon is this! I Special Summon Sapphire Dragon"  
In a flash of sapphire light, Sapphire Dragon roared, floating down beside Great Angus.  
"It's your turn to make a Special Summon as well, Yugi. And let us hope it is a good one."

"It will be." Yugi pulled his Deck out, beginning to look at all of the Level 4 or lower Monsters he had. He took one in particular and said "I Special Summon Mystic Swordsman LV4 in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a Monster similar in appearance to Mystic Swordsman LV2 appeared to the left of Breaker, opposite of Beta. Mystic Swordsman LV4 was taller than his smaller LV, and now he had two swords of light instead of just one and he seemed a bit more serious.

"Now we both shuffle our Decks!" Senbei and Yugi nodded to each other, pulling their Decks out, shuffling them carefully, then placed them back into their Duel Disk's Deck Holders, both ready to continue the Duel.

MYSTIC SWORDSMAN LV4 Earth/Warrior/4/1900 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: If you Normal Summon this card, you must place it in face-down Defense Mode. If this card attacks a face-down Defense Mode Monster, destroy the Monster immediately with this card's effect without flipping it face-up or applying damage calculation. During the End Phase of a turn that this card destroyed a Monster as a result of Battle, send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Mystic Swordsman LV6" from your hand or Deck.

"Mmmm. A very nice choice indeed! If I was to play anymore face-down Monsters, you'd just have Mystic Swordsman LV4 destroy them with his effect"  
"Yeah, that's why I chose it, Senbei. I'll next set another card, and end my turn!" Yugi let out in a very determined voice, but he still smiled, enjoying the Duel very much so, Senbei smiling as well.

Rumiko looked from the building she was observing the Duel from, looking into the lens of her binoculars, looking outward, setting them down gently, then clasped her hands together, eyes closed. 'Senbei...'

"Hey, Senbei, I was wondering what a guy like you was doing as a Card Hunter..." Yugi asked.  
Senbei looked at the ground when Yugi asked. "You want to know...? You sure about that? I'm surprised, but not too surprised, that people have forgotten who I am really..."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Asked Taro, overhearing what Senbei said, since he was speaking aloud for many of the people there watching the Duel to har what he said. "You said people forgot who you really are..."

Senbei exhaled, eyes closed. "I was once a champion Duelist... I had been asked to compete in Duelist Kingdom even, but I declined since I had my own plans and that was just competing in tournaments for the fun, not the awards and accolades of my fans. I just wanted to be the best. Soon though... I met some Yakuza..."

"Yakuza?" Yugi blinked. "How did you get mixed up with a group like them?"

Senbei sighed again. "My father had owed debts to them... and thus they wanted me to take a dive in a tournament they wanted their betted horse to win. I told them I declined, going on to win the tournament nonetheless. In the end, the Yakuza hurt me by destroying my reputation. They paid judges and such to believe I had been cheating in Duels and also had been using drugs. I was ruined... so I had to do what I could in terms of odd jobs to support my family and also pay the Yakuza off. Rumiko helped me too... but sadly, our folks soon died... and me and Rumiko just had hard times living while she also went to school. But then a ray of hope showed up."

Joey blinked also. "Ray of hope? What kinda ray of hope"  
"Please... continue with your story, Senbei." T? asked.

Senbei nodded. "Well... we met a British woman named Sarah Ashcroft, looking for potential Duelists for her 'Card Hunters'. We both were reluctant to do what we did, but soon enough she told us that she was offering payment for our services, like she did with others. It was worth 100,000 yen each. Rumiko and I were set... we paid off the Yakuza, and continued to work... just to support ourselves... I know we're unredeemable for our actions... and I'm sure you don't consider us True Duelists..."

"No. I do see you as a True Duelist, Senbei Nakamura." Yugi replied.  
Senbei looked up and said "What"  
And Joey looked in surprise at this. "Did Yugi just say what I think he said!? This guy is a True Duelist to him!? Did the definition of it change all fo a sudden and we didn't get a memo"  
Taro, Melody, T?, Tristan, and Duke all looked in surprise too at what Yugi said, Yugi smiling before he began to speak again.

"You played for the fun, not the accolades, right? That's why I've Dueled for the most part. The other me that existed once said he Dueled because of strong opponents... but myself, I am more in for the fun of the game and just the love of it! And that's what this Duel is all about, Senbei! All this Duel is for you and me is for our love of the game! Whoever wins and loses doesn't matter! Things like sadness, hatred, anger and hope... those don't matter in a game of Duel Monsters! All that matters is both players have fun and do their best!!"

Senbei blinked at Yugi's words, and said to himself. 'Yugi'  
Hearing this from a small system she developed, Rumiko blinked, but smiled. 'Such a kind boy you are, Yugi Mutoh... perhaps too kind... but that is your true strength... your big heart.'

"So, let's keep going as True Duelists!" Yugi grinned. Senbei blinked then smiled. "You got it, Yugi! So... this is your definition to what a True Duelist is, huh?"

Yugi nodded. "Give it your best shot, don't quit unless you feel you have to do so and you've played all options, stay focused, and the most important thing... you gotta have fun!"

"Right! My turn! Draw!" Senbei drews his next card and saw he had Double Attack. Looking at all other cards in his hand, Senbei smiled and said "First off, I Sacrifice Great Angus and summon Hieracosphinx once again!"

In a flash of light, Great Angus was gone, and back on the Field was Hieracosphinx, letting out a might squawkish roar, slamming its' paw on the ground. Smiling, Senbei took Double Attack, sliding it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "Next, I activate the Normal Magic Card, Double Attack! The effect is simple... I discard 1 Monster Card in my hand to the Graveyard... which I'll do now..." Senbei took his favorite card of all, Grandius Dragon, sliding it into his Graveyard slot and smiled. "Now I select a Monster whose Level is less than the Level of my discarded Monster. My Monster discarded was Level 8 so I choose Hieracosphinx, which is a Level 6."

DOUBLE ATTACK Normal Magic Card Effect: Discard 1 Monster Card from your hand to the Graveyard. Select 1 Monster on your side of the Field with a lower Level than the discarded Monster. The selected Monster can attack twice this turn.

'Level 8... could it be Senbei discarded Grandius Dragon?... if so, I got a bad feeling that Senbei's going to Special Summon it and get its' effect...' Yugi thought to himself.

"But before I do that... I got one Magic Card to play to ensure I get to deal the most damage and maybe end this Duel! Magic Card... Raigeki!!"

RAIGEKI Normal Magic Card Effect: Destroy all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field.

Everyone's eyes widened as Taro gulped. "Oh, crap!! Not good, not good, not good, not good! Senbei's now gonna be able to destroy all of Yugi's Monsters, leaving him wide open and with Double Attack, Senbei could win this Duel!!"

Joey gritted his teeth. "What a dirty trick!"

"No, Raigeki is perfectly legal, Wheeler. In Battle City, it was banned however, but in the Duels in the streets, like we have here now, it's just fine." Senbei replied.

Suddenly, bolts of thunder came crashing down, smashing Breaker, Beta, and Mystic Swordsman LV4, blowing up all 3 of Yugi's Level 4 Monsters, leaving his Field wide open. Senbei smiled and said "Go, Hieracosphinx! Attack Yugi's Life Points directly"  
Rumiko smiled with joy from afar, Taro, T?, Tristan, Joey, Melody, and Duke all gasping, and Yugi gritting his teeth.

"This is the end!!" Senbei cried out.

Yugi then quickly raised his arm and tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Trap Card, activate! WABOKU!!"

WABOKU Normal Trap Card Effect: Make all Battle Damage inflicted by Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field 0 during this turn.

Everyone observing the Duel was in awe when a beautiful woman in light blue and green robes appeared, taking Hieracosphinx's attack, but being unfazed as the attack went through. Yugi smiled, lifting his head up. "Lucky for me, Senbei, that Waboku was set. It now makes any Battle Damage I receive from your Monsters 0 during this turn. I have added it to my Deck since I've seen how useful it is in the past."

"He must remember the times I've used Waboku in the past!" T? smiled, her cheeks showing a small tinge of red. "Oh, Yugi"  
"Yeah, Yugi! Saved by the Trap Card!" Joey grinned.

Tristan crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow. "Hey, Joey, you sure you ain't forgetting how many times T? kicked your ass at Duel Monsters with Waboku saving her?"

Joey twitched and glared at Tristan. "Hey, shut up"  
Melody giggled at this sight and smiled. "So I'm not the only girl who's beaten Joey in a Duel then"  
Groaning, Joey lowered his arms and hung his head down sadly, as Duke shook his head. "Moron."

"Not bad at all, Yugi... I'm impressed." Senbei smiled, clapping his hands. "I can see why you're the King. But this Duel is far from over. I'll next play Pot of Greed. Drawing 2 cards from my Deck." Drawing his two cards, Senbei smiled and said "Turn end."

Yugi nodded. "My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi looked at his hand, summarizing what he could do exactly. He exhaled and said "I will now set another card face-down, and I summon Armed Dragon LV3 in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light that rose up into the sky as a pillar, a small grey armored dragon with orange skin under its' grey armor, big yellow eyes appeared! Armed Dragon LV3 also had bat-like wings, some spikes on shoulder pad-like armor, its' elbows, and its' knees, a club-like tail, and blades protruding down its' belly and along the top of its' eyes as it punched the air, small glove-like armor around its' fists, ready to fight.

"Dude! What is with this cute little guy!?" Taro blinked. "How the deuce is Yugi gonna win with a cute little dragon like this? I'm lost..."

"That's another LV Monster..." Joey blinked. "What the heck, how many of these things are there?!"

Taro began to count. "Now that I remember... in terms of families, there's 7 families; Silent Swordsman, which goes through Levels 3, 5, and 7... Silent Magician, which goes through Levels 4 and 8... Horus the Black Flame Dragon, which goes through Levels 4, 6, and 8... Dark Mimic, which goes through Levels 1 and 3... Armed Dragon, which goes through Levels 3, 5, and 7 also... Ultimate Insect, which goes through Levels 1, 3, 5, and 7... and finally, Mystic Swordsman, which goes through Levels 2, 4, and 6... that's 7 families, but there may be a ton more... and I think Yugi's only got a few."

ARMED DRAGON LV3 Wind/Dragon/3/1200 ATK/900 DEF Effect: During your Standby Phase, send this face-up card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Armed Dragon LV5" from your hand or Deck.

"And that's the end of my turn, Senbei." Yugi smiled.  
Senbei looked over at Armed Dragon LV3, blinking. "Another one of those Monsters like in our first Duel... and just like Mystic Swordsman LV4 earlier... why do you run these Level Monsters, Yugi? I've been meaning to ask you that since I first lost to Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 in our first Duel."

Yugi blinked. "Why...?" Soon enough, Yugi crossed his arms, beginning to think. "Hmmm... well to be honest..." Yugi closed his eyes, smiling playfully, then laughed. "I guess I run them 'cause they're like me! They seem small and weak, but they grow stronger and stronger with each pass! AH HAH HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!"

"Oh, I see!" Senbei then began to laugh as well, everyone watching the Duel looking confused and surprised by the boisterous laughter coming from the Duelists, as Armed Dragon LV3 closed his eyes, a sweatdrop on the side of his head, as Hieracosphinx and Sapphire Dragon both let out sighs of embarassment, until Senbei stopped laughing and smiled. "OK then! My turn!" Senbei drew his next card and smiled.

"Ah-ha! Just what I needed! I now activate Monster Reborn! With its' effect, I Special Summon my favorite card"  
In a bright glow of light, Senbei's Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk shined and with a mighty call, his right hand extended, Senbei said "Come out! My Grandius Dragon!"

Sliding out of the Graveyard slot, Senbei grabbed Grandius Dragon's card, slapping it onto his Monster Card Zone, and Grandius Dragon appeared, letting out a mighty roar as Senbei smiled. "And due to its' effect, Yugi, now I can activate a Magic Card from my Graveyard but Grandius Dragon can't attack! I reactivate Monster Reborn, Special Summoning another Monster from my Graveyard! This time, I Special Summon Great Angus again!"

In a flash of light, Great Angus appeared again, as Senbei smiled. "Earth, Fire, and Wind! Now I just need one more Attribute of Monster! So I will make my Normal Summon now, Yugi! I now Summon Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness!!"

Appearing in a pillar of water, slashing it in half appeared a Monster like Kaiser Seahorse, but with a different helmet of dark blue, a mask over its' moth, its' red eyes glowing underneath it as it held its' trident in both hands, ready to fight.

SEA SERPENT WARRIOR OF DARKNESS Water/Sea Serpent/4/1800 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I will set one card face-down. Turn end!" Senbei smiled, his second copy of Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan set. 'This is it... during his next turn, I'll activate Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan and then activate one of its' effects to deal with you.'

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and took Armed Dragon LV3 from his Monster Card Zone and said "I now will activate Armed Dragon LV3's effect, and send Armed Dragon LV3 to the Graveyard and Special Summon Armed Dragon LV5 from my hand or Deck! And I Special Summon it from my Deck!"

Sliding Armed Dragon LV3 into his Graveyard, and in a flash of light, Armed Dragon LV3 began to glow, then in a flash of light, a much bigger Armed Dragon appeared, roaring loudly! Armed dragon LV5 looked much like Armed Dragon LV3, only bigger, vicious, and muscular rather than small, cute, and chubby like Armed Dragon LV3 was. It has blades along the left and right sides of its' lower jaw, chained mace-like shoulder armor with spikes jutting in all directions, drills sticking out of its' elbows and knees instead of spikes, more armor around its' wrists and over its' fists, as well as 3 spikes along the top of its' gloved armor... with 3 rows of blades going down its' now covered stomach, as well as elongated toenails, and a much longer tail, which now was a clubbed spike. And the grey parts of LV3's armor were now black as Level 5, and its' light orange was now a darker orange red instead, and letting out a mighty roar, Armed Dragon LV5 slammed its' tail down onto the ground, ready as much to fight.

ARMED DRAGON LV5 Wind/Dragon/5/2400 ATK/1700 DEF Effect: Send 1 Monster Card from your hand to the Graveyard to destroy 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field with an ATK equal to or less than the ATK of the sent Monster. During the End Phase of a turn that this card destroyed a Monster as a result of Battle, send this card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Armed Dragon LV7" from your hand or Deck.

"Heh. So, it's now evolved. But it won't stay for long, Yugi. Trap Card, activate! Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!" Once again, the samurai-style armor of Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan's card art returned to the Field, but Yugi smiled as he said "I was waiting for that too! Counter Trap Card, activate! Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

Flipping up his Counter Trap Card, Yugi's Life Point counter rolled from 4700 points to 3700, as Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan began to crack, then exploded, Senbei crying out as Yugi smiled. "Seven Tools of the Bandit is a simple Trap Card. When activated, I simply pay 1000 Life Points and I can negate the activation and effect of a Trap Card and destroy it, and so your Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan is toast. Nice try though."

"Thank you." Senbei smiled.

"Alright! Yugi, go for an attack!" Joey cried out, clenching his fists and teeth with joy.  
Yugi looked at Joey and said "You'll see what I got planned, Joey. Just chill out and watch me work!" Giving his friends a thumbs up, Yugi smiled as he took a Magic Card from his hand and said "Activate Magic Card; Level Up! With Level Up's effect, I'll send one Level Monster to the Graveyard and Special Summon the next Level Monster written on its' card text! I'll thusly send Armed Dragon LV5 to the Graveyard and I'll Special Summon Armed Dragon LV7!!"

In another flash of light, Armed Dragon LV5 disappeared, and a much taller, vicious Armed Dragon appeared onto the Field, floating right behind Yugi. Armed Dragon LV7 was perhaps the most marvelous of all the Armed Dragon family members... its' arms was much sleeker than before... with blades now along with the spikes on its' shoulder armor... as well as its' bat-like wings now sleek bladed wings, its' tail now a massive drill, with bigger drills on its' elbows and knees, as well as a spiked collar around its' wrists, and 3 rows of much sharper blades than before on its' belly as it stood up on its' back legs, towering over all of the Field it'd seem.

ARMED DRAGON LV7 Wind/Dragon/7/2800 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Armed Dragon LV5". Send 1 Monster Card from your hand to the Graveyard to destroy all face-up Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field with an ATK equal to or less than the ATK of the sent Monster.

"And now I'll activate Armed Dragon LV7's effect"  
"Its' effect?" Senbei blinked. "What exactly can it do?"

Yugi took a card from his hand and said "When I discard a Monster Card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy all face-up Monsters on your side of the Field whose ATK is equal to or less than the ATK of the sent Monster!" Yugi set his card of choice to the Graveyard slot and said "My discarded Monster is Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, with an ATK of 3000 points! And all of your Monsters have an ATK equal to or less than 3000! Grandius Dragon has 3000, Hieracosphinx has 2400, Sapphire Dragon has 1900 ATK and Great Angus and Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness both have 1800 ATK. Armed Dragon LV7!! Genocide Cutter!!"

Armed Dragon LV7's blades on its' stomach's began to glow a light blue, shooting forward like saws, slicing through all of Senbei's Monsters, destroying them in one shot, causing Senbei to cry out as Yugi then said "Now your Life Points are wide open! I'll set one Monster face-down!"

A face-down Duel Monsters card appeared onto Yugi's side of the Field face-down, then he pulled a card from his hand and smiled. "Now I activate the Magic Card, Book of Taiyou, which lets me flip up one Monster on the Field that's face-down into face-up Attack Mode!"

BOOK OF TAIYOU Normal Magic Card Effect: Flip 1 face-down Monster on the Field into face-up Attack Mode.

The face-down card on Yugi's side of the Field began to glow, then exploded, revealing a young woman holding a long staff with a crescent moon at the top, a golden orb between the two, floating in mid-air, and the young woman also had dark purple robes, with orange robes covering hers arms and legs, with her hands bare, and brown boots, her light purple hair tied into a ponytail in the back, with a kind of charm tied around her forehead as she held her staff in both hands, smiled, and began to glow.

"Magician of Faith!" Senbei replied.  
Yugi nodded. "And thanks to Magician of Faith's effect being activated by Book of Taiyou's, I get to add 1 Magic Card in my Graveyard to my hand."

MAGICIAN OF FAITH Light/Spellcaster/1/300 ATK/400 DEF Effect: Flip: Select 1 Magic Card from your Graveyard and return it to your hand.

Sliding out of his Graveyard slot, Yugi grabbed his card of choice and showed it to Senbei. "I activate the Magic Card, Pump Up! And I'll double Armed Dragon LV7's ATK to 5600 points"  
Armed Dragon LV7's body began to glow, its' ATK raised from 2800 to 5600, as it let out a mighty roar, ready to attack. "Magician of Faith, attack directly!"

Magician of Faith held her staff out, the end of it beginning to glow brightly as Yugi called out her attack. "Saint Blaze!" The blast of fiery light from Magician of Faith's staff hit Senbei, engulfing his body, causing him to cry out, his Life Points dropped by 300 points to 5500.

"Now for what they call the coup de grace! Armed Dragon LV7! Direct attack Senbei!" Yugi cried out. Armed Dragon LV7 pulled its' arms back then roared, Yugi calling out the name of its' attack, much like he had done with Magician of Faith a bit ago.

"Armed Banisher!!"

Driving its' arms down at Senbei, slashing the air, Armed Dragon LV7 created a red blade of energy around its' claws as it slashed an X across Senbei who gasped a bit from the attack, but smiled, eyes closed. 'Now this is an interesting way to go down... being beaten by another one of his Level Monsters... there must be a way to topple them...'

Rumiko looked on in shock at Senbei being attacked and began to run down from the stairwell near the roof of the building she was on, running as fast as she could to be at her brother's side.

After his LP counter rolled to 0 and beeped, signifying his defeat, Senbei stood still for a moment, then grinned. "Man, that was intense!"

"Glad you had fun too, Senbei! I was sweating for a minute there!" Yugi replied, walking over, smiling as he held out his closed fist, Senbei doing likewise, both batting their fists against one another, smiles on their faces.

Joey let out a loud whoop of joy, Taro doing the same, Tristan and Duke high fiving one another, Melody letting out a whoop of joy with Taro and Joey, T? smiling, then nodding, happy Yugi was able to win. Yugi himself smiled and then everyone heard a cry. "BROTHER!!"

Everyone all turned, Taro blinking. "Rumiko"  
Rumiko came running up, panting. "Brother... are you OK?"

"I'm.. fine, Rumiko." Senbei smiled. "For the first time in a while, I feel pretty good, despite the fact I lost a Duel. But if there's anyone I want to lose to..." Turning, Senbei looked at Yugi and smiled. "It's someone strong like you, Yugi... and I must say... thank you for seeing that I am a True Duelist in your mind."

Yugi nodded and smiled. "And I hope we do get to Duel again sometime, Senbei. You're a pretty strong Duelist, and I'd like to see how much stronger you get to be with some planning."

Senbei nodded, arms crossed. "Trust me... I'll be ready for that, Yugi. And so will my new Deck. Rumiko, shall we get going"  
Smiling at her brother, Rumiko nodded, the two heading off, Senbei waving his hand back to Yugi and the others, Yugi standing with his friends, a smile on his face at his enjoyable Duel.

Observing from her office, however, Sarah slammed her clenched hand on her desk. "Damn it! Is there anyone amongst of us who can defeat that pestering brat!? I just want to see Yugi humiliated so that the world can see who is truly deserving of his title and honors, as well as to also make sure he isn't a thorn in my side for my true agenda!"

Bandit Keith came walking up behind Sarah, patting her shoulders as she began to pant heavily. "Whoa, whoa, easy... you don't wanna have a heart attack, do you, sweetheart? Relax. I'm sure there is someone who can humiliate Yugi Mutoh like you want... but what about Pegasus? Isn't he your true agenda to begin with...?"

"Yes..." Sarah nodded, sighing softly, patting Keith's left hand with her right hand. "You're right, Keith. But that doesn't mean I don't wish to see Yugi humiliated. Once people see their champion crushed, they'll lose faith in the Duel... and faith in I2, and then I can buiy them out. But I need to find someone I know can beat Yugi... and humiliate him so that can begin.."

Keith smiled, walking forward. I have one idea... I may know a guy i've heard about... that's here in Japan. That is, unless he's disappeared off the face of the earth. He may be what you're looking for. You give me the time to do so..." Keith turned to lower his sunglasses, smirking at Sarah. "I can get this guy. Just have some serious cash ready... and also get ready anything else you wanna do..."

Sarah smiled, eyes closed. "Excellent"  
Sitting against a wall, eyes closed, arms crossed, a saddened expression on his face, Ryo Bakura stood there as Bandit Keith walked past him. "What's the matter, Bakura"  
"...You know I don't like this, Keith... having to turn my back on my friends because of her... but I remember my agreement to Sarah..."

Keith smirked, as Bakura lifted his head. "Just don't get in my way is all I ask." Bakura replied, not seeming like his usual self as he walked past Keith, hands in his pockets, Keith shaking his head until he took off, trying to find one other known Duelist of high calibur who dropped off the face of the earth... someone he could know perhaps would beat Yugi... and that someone was closer than he thought.

-To Be Continued...- 


	26. Chapter 26

Episode 26 - Walking Down Memory Lane

Yugi Mutoh was sitting on the roof of the Kame Game Shop, his home for all of his life, smiling as he looked across the setting sun of Domino City. He had his back to the side of the building, just smiling. Horus popped up right next to Yugi and chuckled. "Hey, Yugi, whatcha doing?"

"Just thinking is all, Horus." Yugi replied, Horus blinking. "About what"  
"All kinds of stuff. The one thing that strikes to me most is something my grandpa told me and Taro when we were done with his training us in Duel Monsters. To be a true champion, you can't be afraid of losing..."

"Only then can true strength be born." Yugi and Taro said in unison, as Taro stepped outside and smiled. "Why're you out here on the roof by yourself, Yuge"  
"I was getting some air, Taro." Yugi smiled. "I'm surprised you remember what Grandpa told us that day."

"Hey, of course I'm gonna remember!" Taro punched Yugi in the arm playfully. "Grandpa did kinda drill it into us, and that's why I've always been like that! I mean, you always told me that games should be fun. That's what I've believed why playing games against you when we were kids... and so pretty much, that's my personality! Hey, ya know one thing I remember...?"

"What?" Yugi blinked, looking over at Taro.

Taro snickered. "Remember when we were kids and I put wasabi in Grandpa's toothpaste"  
"Ugh! Don't remind me!"

A few years ago, when Yugi was 8 and Taro was 7, the two was in the bathroom of the living quarters of the Kame Game Shop when Taro and his mom, Asako, came to Domino City for a visit. Taro snickered as he opened the container of toothpaste labeled "Solomon Mutoh". He then placed down a small jar of wasabi, the green spicy material typical in Japanese cuisine through sushi. Taking a small dab, Taro snickered, sliding it in, as he then began to shake up the container slowly.

"Should we be doing this, Taro? What if we get caught!?" Yugi replied.  
Taro smiled and placed the toothpaste down, stepping out. "Yuge, we ain't going to get caught! Trust me on this! Besides, it'll be funny to see Grampa react"  
"I guess..." Yugi then cried out, as Taro dragged him off. Solomon saw the boys and chuckled. "Hello, boys."

"Hey, Grampa!" Both Mutoh boys said at the same time, as Solomon walked into the bathroom, Taro covering his mouth to control his urge to laugh as Yugi groaned, thinking to himself. 'Sorry about this, Grampa...'

Solomon took his toothbrush carefully, then took his container of toothpaste, squeezing some onto his toothbrush's bristles, unaware of what would happen next. Solomon began to brush his teeth, soon his eyes widening as he screamed at the top of his lungs, as Taro began to laugh his head off, Yugi sighing softly.

In the present time, Taro began to laugh hard, resting his back on the roof. "Now that we're older, you gotta admit that was funny, Yugi! Just hearing Grandpa scream like that was worth it!! And besides, what good is life without a little humor here and there"  
Hearing that, Yugi tried to stop himself from laughing, but stifled his laugh, as Taro smiled. "See what I mean! Look at you, Yuge! Hey... what about you? Do you have any big memories of all you like or just remember most of all, Yugi?"

"Yeah, I do." Yugi smiled. "It was when I first met T? and we became friends. OK, we were in elementary school, right? I remember us both being 7, way before I had the Millennium Puzzle from Grandpa..."

A year earlier than the events Taro had remembered, Yugi was sitting in class during a break, playing with a Rubik's Cube, tongue sticking out as he began to twist and turn the pieces. He had usually brought a plethora of games to school with him since he was really shy. He looked over from his desk, seeing a much younger T?, back when they were both the same height, before Yugi was "stuck" so to speak for a time before his growth spurt brought them both back to 5 foot 5. He got up, grabbed his backpack and began to walk over to her.

"Hi!" Yugi smiled. T? blinked as she looked over at Yugi. "Uh, hi"  
"I've seen you in class before... T?, right? I'm Yugi." Yugi smiled, placing his hand on his chest.  
T? blinked and smiled. "I've seen you in class before too. People talk about how you're the game master or something like that... always bringing in puzzles and games and such."

"Yeah! I love games! Guess it comes from my grandpa running a game shop and my dad teaching me all sorts of games." Yugi chuckled. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a small handheld game with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen, smiling. "Here, try this one and see what you think."

T? blinked when she took the handheld game from Yugi, listening as Yugi began to show her what to do. "...And then you use this button to jump! Go ahead, give it a try!"

T? nodded after listening to Yugi's instructions, beginning to play, smiling as she got a feel for the game, then cried out when she lost a life. "Ack! I can't believe it! I lost! OK, here we go again!" Playing once more, T? began to laugh, enjoying herself, Yugi smiling with joy, glad to hear her laughter as she then cried out, groaning. "Stupid game!" Raising her hands up, T? then banged the game onto the desk, cracking it.

Yugi saw this, but just laughed a bit. T? frowned and sighed. "Sorry, Yugi... I didn't mean to bust your game"  
"No worries, T?! I got a good idea though. Tomorrow I'll bring something for ya. Promise!" Yugi smiled, as T? still felt bad.

The next day, Yugi smiled, walking over to T?. "Morning, T"  
"Hey, Yugi. Listen, sorry I broke your game again... you must hate me"  
"No way! In fact... I brought you an easier one. We'll work up to the harder ones over time." Yugi smiled, pulling out another handheld game. T? blushed slightly. "Y-Yugi"  
"C'mon! How about I show you how to play!?" Yugi smiled. T? nodded, the blush still being on her cheeks. "OK!"

"And that's how T? and I began to be friends, Taro. I showed her how to play all kinds of games over time... and she and I have been friends for a long time now." Yugi smiled. "In fact to be honest, 'tween you and me, I like her a lot." Yugi smiled.

"We talked about this before, Yuge!" Taro replied, now standing on his hands for some reason, both now in Yugi's room. "You didn't wanna say a thing 'cause of her liking Atem, but I told her ya liked her like that when you Dueled Mary! She was surprised! I mean, I thought she'd always known."

"I don't know if she did, Taro." Yugi sat down. "And why are you standing on your hands"  
"'Cause I wanna. 'Sides, this gets the blood flowing to the brain so you can think better. Ya know, man, I've wondered how you got a goofy friend like Joey!"

"Well, I saved him and Tristan." Yugi smiled, sitting cross-legged on his bed. "See, this guy, Demetrius Ushio, was pummeling them 'cause he was 'protecting' me from them, and he wanted 200,000 yen as payment for his so-called services..."

Yugi was remembering it. Back sometime ago, when he was about 15 or so. Sometime before he completed the Millennium Puzzle, met Atem, and the leg of his journey to help Atem began... "See, Joey had bullied me a bit before we were friends, taking part of the Millennium Puzzle and tossing it into the school's pool... so Ushio made an offer to me... his services for 200,000 yen..."

Thinking back on it, Yugi began to remember how Tristan and Joey looked... as well as Ushio's face, since it was the day his dream of true friends came true.  
"I already told you, Yugi... you hired me as your bodyguard." Ushio said to Yugi, smirking. His uniform had a yellow armband on it, which read "Student Council" on it. Ushio then pointed to Joey and Tristan, who were bruised and battered. "But I did use some restraint on the guys who were cruel to you."

Soon enough, Yugi stood in front of Joey and Tristan, arms extended outward. "Stop it"  
"What's this? You're standing up for them, Yugi? You freak. They picked on you. Now's your chance for revenge. Punch them, kick them, do whatever you want to them!"

Yugi then shouted at Ushio. "There's no way I'd do that to my friends!"

"What a nice little guy... Now you say they're your friends..." Soon after that, Ushio began to pummel onto Yugi, as present day Yugi continued to speak. "After that, Joey had found the piece of the Millennium Puzzle he'd thrown into the pool. We met up again sometime after I completed it... and he told me that he wanted to have a treasure, like I saw the Millennium Puzzle. I asked if I could see it, but Joey told me I couldn't. He then said to me, his treasure's something you can show but can't see. He then said it's friendship."

Taro snickered and said "Man, that sounds kinda corny in some ways"  
"Yeah, but it is a nice riddle sometimes." Yugi smiled. Taro continued to walk on his hands.

"Something else I always remember is stuff like you learning to play chess from Uncle Yuu, Yugi! All in all, that must have been cool!"

"Yeah." Yugi nodded. "Dad always told me that in chess, a queen can be toppled by a pawn if done right. He meant that an underdog can beat a champion. And to be honest, Taro, that's what I am."

"No way, Yugi! You told me in the Ceremonial Battle you took out all 3 God Cards!! So don't say you're an underdog!"

"Taro, for the most part, I was a bit scared, but like usual, Atem had to help me get my courage back. But for the most part, he didn't seem like he was enjoying the Duel. I saw the surprise on his face when I smiled after he destroyed my Stronghold. I was happy he came at me with his all. The thing is, that's how odd I am. I've always loved games, even for all the seriousness behind my getting involved with Duel Monsters." Yugi smiled. "Now that much of that stress is out the window, I can just be who I was before... and just have fun playing Duel Monsters without worrying about winning and losing... even if I do miss Atem.."

"Hey..." Taro soon flipped down to his feet, shaking his head a bit. "What was the deal with this Doma thing?"

"Doma? Oh, yeah, that! Well, Taro, Doma was an organization started to guide human history down the path humanity should take, giving a push here and there, guiding it by unjust means. Their agenda awhile back was through their leader, an Atlantaen named Dartz."

"Wait! You mean THE Atlantis?" Taro blinked. "Kinda like how the Field Card of the same name aka A Legendary Ocean is? That's just un-flippin'-believable." Taro sat down on his futon, groaning.

"It is all true! Doma used this Field Magic Card called the Seal of Orichalcos, Taro! It tapped into the darkness of one's mind and heart, making all of their Monsters Dark Attribute, and giving them 500+ ATK! Plus the user of the Seal of Orichalcos could use their Magic/Trap Zone for Monster Cards, with the opponent only able to attack the back row if the front row was taken out." Yugi replied, looking down.

"Sounds like it was a powerful card! Why would Industrial Illusions make such a card though"  
"They didn't though. Doma had them only. And there was a price. The loser of the Duel when the Seal is played would lose their soul." Yugi added.

"...You know more about that. You told me you had your soul sealed... so what happened?" Taro added. "And why so glum, chum?"

"Well... you remember Atem, right? He played the Seal of Orichalcos once... we Dueled against a member of Doma named Raphael and his Guardian Deck. Atem got desperate because we were losing... and..."

Yugi began to remember it, eyes closed, as he remembered Drum Rock, in the desert of California. How Atem was on one knee after Raphael had his Guardian Kay'est attack him directly. Soon, Atem had begun to look nervous when Raphael had told him that he couldn't prove he didn't have any darkness in his heart with the light in his heart, after Atem had claimed darkness never once resided in his heart.

He then played Coins from Heaven, drawing 5 new cards, clenching the green gem around his neck as he looked very frustrated, some sweat beading down his face.

"I have this card now... if I play it, Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight's ATK will change and Crystal Seal will be destroyed... it's the only way I can reverse this situation!"

Slowly, Atem, or Mou Hitori No Yugi, the other Yugi, reached for the Seal of Orichalcos, pulling it into mid-air, eyes closed, teeth gritted as he then heard Yugi said "Don't do it, Other Me"  
"Partner...!" Atem cried out.

"Don't play that card, please!"

"But...!"

"He's waiting for us to play that card!!" Yugi cried out, transparent, but clenching Atem's arm with his own arms to stop him from playing the Seal of Orichalcos.

"But if we don't play this card, we're going to lose the Duel! Partner, this is MY fight! My sense of justice and faith are on the line!" Atem then yanked his arm away from Yugi as he looked on sadly, speaking gently. "Other me..."

"Now I activate... this card from my hand!" Atem cried out as he pulled his arm back, his Duel Disk's Field Magic Card slot opening as he cried out. "The Seal of Orichalcos!" After that, a bright green light encircled Atem's body, as he cried out once more, the light surrounding him, forming a circle with an oddly shaped star in the center at his feet, the light expanding all over the rock. As it came near the transparent Yugi, he disappeared, quickly letting out a cry of panic.

"But... what happened next..." Present day Yugi began to say. "Was painful. When Atem used the Seal of Orichalcos, Taro, all I could do was watch... he began to use a cruel tactic of Catapult Turtle recklessly. Even I wouldn't have used my Monsters so recklessly to Catapult Turtle... only more strategically... but he began to become desperate to win! In the end, that desperation proved fatal when Raphael summoned Guardian Eatos and defeat him... after that, I managed to get out for a time, pushing him out of the Seal so he wouldn't lose his soul. I told him I still believed in him before I disappeared... and then, darkness."

Taro sat down and exhaled. "Dude... that's heavy..."

"Mmm-hmm. That is one of my most painful memories... another being during Duelist Kingdom... that was one of the first times myself and Atem had clashed at something. We were Dueling against Kaiba, right?"

"OK." Taro nodded. "But something happened, didn't it?"

"Yeah. Kaiba had nothing more to lose. He took 5 steps back and stood on the edge of the castle. He said to the other me that if he won the Duel, he'd kill himself. In the end, Atem wanted to attack, but T? called out for me, the 'ordinary' Yugi as she said, at the time. I stopped Atem, but we lost our chance at the time to enter Pegasus Castle."

"You made the right decision, Yugi. I mean, even if you lost a chance to get into the castle at the time, saving Kaiba's life was more important. Heck, from what you told me about some of this stuff, I'd say your kind heart's your big strength!"

Yugi smiled. "A lot of people say that"  
"Lemme guess, T? is one of 'em?"

Yugi blushed when Taro had said that and said "TARO!! Well, what about you and Melody, man? How do you feel for her?"

"I like her a lot! In fact, when I'm around her, Yugi, it feels a lot like love, you know?"

"Love, huh? I'm surprised you can feel so confident about that, Taro, as well as not being the least bit nervous about how you feel!" Yugi blinked in surprise.

Leaning back, his hands behind his head, Taro smiled. "I'm used to being true to my feelings, Yugi. If I can at least stay true to myself, that's a good thing. Though... I am glad I got friends here. Back in Tokyo, I do remember how alone I felt... like an outsider..."

Taro closed his eyes, remembering how he watched others in class back in Tokyo, feeling left out, beginning to look at his Duel Monsters cards, speaking to Yugi in the present. "Even if I was alone, I really wasn't, Yugi. I had my Duel Monsters cards to keep my company, and my mom was there too as well as my dad... but ya know what happened to my dad, right?"

"How can I forget what happeend to Uncle Yukito, Taro? He died in that car crash..." Yugi frowned.

Taro nodded, arms now on his knees, eyes closed. "He died saving me from getting killed, Yuge. I sometimes blame myself for what happened to him. That's why I develed more and more into Duel Monsters... and not just 'cause Grandpa taught me how to play, man. No crap, I just felt I could escape into my game so I could deal with the pain. But that pain of bein' alone escaped when I came here... and I met your friends and Melody when I came here, and I felt something in me break, that feeling of loneliness after my dad's death go away..."

Yugi smiled, then patted Taro's shoulder. "You're never alone, Taro. Don't forget that, man"  
"I won't." Taro stood up and smiled. "So, besides the incidents when you two clash, how was Atem?"

"A good friend. A very good friend indeed, Taro." Yugi smiled. "But all in all, I sometimes felt... I dunno... like everyone forgot about me when he was around, since the two of us were almost the same... only that he was the somewhat stronger me. I sometimes wonder how he felt about me at first glance..."

" I dunno, since I never knew the guy, Yugi, so I can't answer that for ya. But I do knew you weren't weak from the get-go. I remember how you used to cheer me up when we were kids, especially after my dad died. That showed me you weren't a weakling at all. It just shows me you got the biggest heart of anyone I know."

Yugi blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his head, Taro grinning, then nudging his side, Taro stood up and said "C'mon, dude, let's go downstairs and see what we can do to pass the time!!"

"OK!" Yugi got up and both rushed right for the door, heading out to face the future, unknown what would be waiting them, but they would face it together.

-To Be Continued...- 


	27. Chapter 27

Episode 27 - The Shadow Game Begins! Yugi vs. Ishtar

Yugi and Taro continued down the hall as Solomon then stopped the two and smiled. "Oh, ho! You two seem like you're very energetic today."

"Well, just in a good mood, Grandpa!" Taro smiled. "What's up? You look like you got something in mind for us to do, and we know that may not be good..."

"Actually, Yuu, myself, and Suki were going to the Domino City museum so I could talk to my old friend, Professor Harrison, over there. Why don't you two come along if you got so much energy to spare...?" Solomon chuckled.

"Well, a trip to the museum would be kinda cool!" Yugi smiled. "I haven't been there since, well, ya know, Grandpa, and it'd be cool to see if they changed any of the displays in the Egyptian exhibit! Besides... I could stand to get out of the shop for a while"  
"Me too!" Taro grinned, his arm on Yugi's shoulder, even if Yugi had 2 inches on Taro, Yugi now being 5 foot 5, and Taro being 5 foot 3. Solomon chuckled and nodded. "But before we go, I'd like to make a few phone calls."

"OK, Grandpa!" Yugi and Taro both said, Solomon smiling, as he picked up, first dialing in a number, as Yugi rushed to his room, grabbing his backpack from his room, as well as a few other things, Horus floating right beside him. "So, uh, what's the big deal with Domino Museum, Yugi? I mean, it just is a museum."

"Well, I learned a lot of wild stuff there, Horus!" Yugi smiled. "For one, I learned a bit about who Atem might have been, since even if most people didn't know, even while I was switched with him, I wouldn't just hide in the Millennium Puzzle or just in his heart. I'd sometimes be feeling what is going on... and I overheard him and T? once when they were at Domino Museum, about how he was a Pharaoh. Even if he didn't want me to know, I eventually found out the full story of what was going on. Going to the museum today will help relax me off this Card Hunter business."

Horus nodded, then blinked. "Wait, wait, wait! Why have your Duel Disk then"  
After what Horus said, Yugi looked, blinking in surprise. "Huh? Oh, this! Well, it's always been a force of habit for me to bring my Duel Disk! I guess 'cause I've Dueled a lot, and so did Atem when he was here! It's almost felt like an extension of myself."

"So, in other words, sometimes, you feel naked without it." Horus said, appearing on Yugi's shoulder.  
Nodding, Yugi smiled. "You got a good point there, partner! C'mon, I'm sure everyone else is waiting for us!" With that said, Yugi ran out the door, Horus still on his shoulder, transparent to others.

Walking along, the whole Mutoh family soon came up to the large steps of Domino City Museum, which had an architectual style almost similar to New York City's Natural History Museum, only it had some differences.

Looking at it, Yugi smiled, heading up the stairs, Solomon, Suki, Yuu, and Taro heading up them also, as Yuu smiled, his hands in his pockets. "It sure seems like the museum hasn't changed much since I was last here a few years ago. So, Dad, why did Professor Harrison want to talk to you?"

"Jeremy had wanted to ask me for some advice on a tablet he discovered." Solomon replied, opening the door, as the others entered the museum, as he followed behind. "He said it has something to do with the Millennium Items and the Egypt of 3000 years past"  
"You mean like Yugi's Millennium Puzzle, Dad?" Suki replied, blinking.

Solomon nodded. "I do, Suki, my dear daughter-in-law. I just wonder what kind of discovery this will have that Yugi hasn't learned."

Yugi smiled a bit, then blinked. "Eh!?"

However, standing there, T? was looking at a few things, then turned in surprise. "Hey, Yugi, Taro, everyone!"

"T?, what the heck are you doing here!?" Yugi replied, shocked still.  
"You didn't know, Yugi? Your grandpa..."

"Uh, it was a chance encounter is all!" Solomon chuckled uneasily, interrupting T?'s explanation. T? blinked, standing in a black shirt with a white Aztec-like pattern around the collar and sleeves, as well as a black skirt up above her knees, Yugi in his school uniform, minus the choker he usually wore, and Taro in his usual attire, as he chuckled. "Hey, wait a sec, ain't we supposed to meet Professor Harrison, Grandpa?"

"Actually, young man, I'm already here." Walking towards everyone was a younger man than Solomon, but still older than Yuu and Suki. He had a dark brown beard and similiar colored hair, a white lab coat with a black button shirt under it, and brown slacks as he smiled.

"Jeremy, glad to see you again!" Solomon smiled, walking up and patting his friend's shoulders. Professor Harrison also smiled, nodding. "A pleasure to see you too, Solomon. And is that Yuu and Yugi? Look at them!"

"Good to see you again, Professor Harrison. It HAS been quite a while since you last saw me. About, what? 8 years or so?" Yuu smiled.

Professor Harrison nodded and said "Yes, about that much I'd say. Solomon, if you want to follow me to the back, I can show you exactly what I was talking to you about earlier. I could use a second opinion. Everyone else, you can relax while we handle this really fast."

"Fine with me." Taro replied. "I'm gonna go find the john! I really gotta go"  
Suki sighed, shaking her head, hands on her hips. "Taro, I swear, you need to go before we leave next time... you really also shouldn't seem so vulgar."

Taro sighed. "Sorry, Auntie. OK, I'll BE right back!!" Running off, Taro turned a corner, looking all over for a bathroom, humming to himself as he walked, then blinked. "Huh?" Taro looked on, seeing a transparent figure with a black cloak over its' body. He blinked and said "OK... what the...!?"

Yugi sat on one of the seats available in the museum as he exhaled, smiling. Yuu sat next to Yugi, and smiled. "How you holding up, Yugi"  
"Decent, Dad. The museum does hold some memories for me... of when I got the Millennium Puzzle for one thing. I do wonder if Atem would be happy at the progress I've made so far." Replied Yugi, rubbing his hands together, tensing for a second when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked to see T?, who smiled. "I'm sure he would be, Yugi."

Yuu then snapped his fingers. "Before I forget, I found a card that'd help you out a lot, Yugi." Digging into his pocket, Yuu soon pulled out a card and held it out to Yugi. Looking at the art, Yugi noticed a young girl with large wings extending outward, as well as what appeared to be a beautiful blonde-haired woman in the background.

"Wow. The art for this card is beautiful!" T? smiled.  
"Wings of Evolution? What makes you think this will help my Deck out, Dad? I mean... I can somewhat understand the gesture and all, but it doesn't seem like it may work..."

Yuu chuckled, patting Yugi's head. Nodding, Yugi looked at the card, then took his Deck holder, sliding Wings of Evolution in with his Deck, exhaling softly.

WINGS OF EVOLUTION (English Name: Transcendant Wings)  
Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Send 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard and send 1 face-up "Winged Kuriboh" on your side of the Field to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 "Winged Kuriboh LV10" from your hand or Deck.

Suddenly, a crash of thunder was heard, everyone crying out. However, in the back room, Solomon was looking at a tablet that had Egyptian hieroglyphics on it. Professor Harrison showed the tablet to Solomon and said "I read some of it already. It said something about the Millennium Items... and how even without them, somehow, the Shadow Games will live on. I remember what you said you and Professor Hawkins read in Egypt... of how the word game had been repeated many of times, Solomon. Do you think this is some kind of cryptic message?"

Solomon began to stroke his beard. "It does seem that way, Jeremy... but I saw the end of the Millennium Items myself... even if many people don't know much of their true purpose, something tells me this is bad... but could you figure out what a Shadow Game was?"

Professor Harrison nodded. "It was in older text. Shadow Games were games of life and death that could judge a person's fate, and even change their destiny... but other than that, I am not sure as to how they came to be in existence... it seems odd though... how these kinds of games may exist..."

"Yes, but my grandson knows, and so do a few others who know of the Millennium Items, Jeremy. I..." Suddenly, a crash of thunder occured once more, the lights shutting off as Professor Harrison looked up. "Hmm? A power failure?"

Horus felt a chill in the air, resting on Yugi's shoulder, unaware to the others. "Yugi... somethin's in the air... I got a baaaaaad feeling about this"  
"Yeah, I'm feeling it too, Horus..." Yugi added, looking around. T? shuddered a moment, her arms around herself. "Did it just get colder in here?"

"You think that's weird?!" Taro replied, walking up, haivng finished drying his hands. "I thought I saw someone in a black cloak"  
Suki blinked and said "Was this person walking aimlessly it seemed, Taro"  
"Ye-yeah, Aunt Suki, but how'd you"  
"Because that description is right in front of us!"

Everyone turned all at once, in surprise to see the same person Taro saw earlier, only under the hood of the cloak was a man, about in his forties, brownish skin, white hair, a white beard, and eyes that looked... somewhat demented.

"Which of you is the one chosen by the Millennium Puzzle...?" The spirit said.  
Yugi looked at the spirit then gasped, seeing a small resemblance to Marik Ishtar! 'This guy looks just like Marik! Is he Marik and Ishizu's father, the one Ishizu said was killed by Marik's dark side?! If so, what is going on...?' After that, Yugi stepped forward. "I'm the one you want! Who are you!?"

"Ishtar, head of the Ishtar sect of the Gravekeeper Clan, and your angel of death..." Ishtar smiled, chuckling. T? stepped forward and said "What do you want from Yugi anyway? What's he done to you?"

"He is responsible for my death, girl! I was nothing but loyal to protecting the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace, and in the end, all I get was my own son murdering me!! Is that what kind of loyalty I deserved!? Is that what my fate was to be!? No... I must make the one who solved the Millennium Puzzle pay... with his life! I was waiting to return here, to this plane, even as a ghost... in order to challenge him to a Shadow Game!"

"A... Shadow Game?" Yugi blinked.  
Suki looked to Yuu and said "Yuu, dear, what is this Shadow Game the spirit is speaking about?"

"I've only heard small things from my studies, but Shadow Games are games in which the players may very well lose their lives if they lose, Suki... but... how can a spirit have a Shadow Game with Yugi?" Yuu replied. "Something about this doesn't seem right... what is going on...?"

Ishtar chuckled, smiling. "We will not have the kinds of Shadow Games the pharaohs had when the Millennium Items were in Egypt, Yugi... Instead, we will battle with the true form the Ka have regained in this world... or 'Duel Monsters' as it is called..."

"OK! I accept your challenge!" Yugi replied, sliding his backpack off as he took his Duel Disk out and slid it on. "Wait... how can I actually Duel you when you won't have your Deck visible?!"

"You will see my cards in some form... that is all you need to know... I have heard how this system works... so killing you will be a great pleasure... in this battle, you will feel every ounce of pain for your Monsters destruction... and if I win this Shadow Game, I gain possession of your body, while your soul will take my place in death's hallowed halls!"

Yugi pulled his Deck out of his Deck Holder and said "Yeah, you can give me the stipulations if you want, but I won't back down without a fight!" Slapping it into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, another crash of thunder occured as Yugi and Ishtar both looked, Yugi shouting out "Duel!" and Ishtar shouting "Diaha!", the Egyptian word for Duel.

Yugi's Life Points - 4000 Ishtar's Life Points - 4000

Yugi drew his first 5 cards, looking on as 5 cards appeared in front of him, the back facing Yugi, Ishtar's arms at his sides. "Let us begin this battle then... draw." A sixth card soon slid out to join the other 5 cards Ishtar had. Looking at his cards, he smiled and said "My first summon is this... Gravekeeper's Curse in Attack Mode."

A crash of thunder from outside occured as Ishtar's Field began to crackle and appearing before Yugi was a man in black robes, a golden set of bracelets around his wrists, a decorative set of jewelry to link his robes, with red covering his chest, slightly visible, a golden sash around his waist, and black covering his legs, his hair done in dreadlocks of sorts, as well as his skin the same tint as Ishtar's, a sliver headband around his forehead, and a curved staff, with blue and yellow stripes in his hand.

GRAVEKEEPER'S CURSE Dark/Spellcaster/3/800 ATK/800 DEF Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Gravekeeper's Curse. When this card is summoned to the Field, my opponent will receive 500 points of damage... now, feel the pain that is the Shadow Game!" Ishtar cried out, raising his left arm up.

Gravekeeper's Curse held his staff, as it seemed to grow in length, his body glowing gold, as he began to chant in what might have been Ancient Egyptian, the same light wrapping around Yugi's body. Yugi soon felt his eyes shrink, then close as he screamed out in some pain, groaning, his Life Point counter rolling down to 3500.

"That will end my turn..." Ishtar said, smirking. Yugi groaned a bit, panting, his hand resting on his chest. "My turn... Draw!" Yugi drew his sixth card, looking at his hand, panting still. 'He wasn't kidding... the second he got Gravekeeper's Curse's effect, I felt this stinging pain in my body and chest. But I won't back down. I've never shown any fear of losing in a Duel at any time recently, so I can't let this Shadow Game be an exception!'

"I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in Attack Mode!" Yugi cried out, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian appearing in front of Yugi, holding his sword tightly in both hands.

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's ATK - 1400 Gravekeeper's Curse's ATK - 800

"You may have gotten off your Monster's effect, but you made a mistake in playing him in Attack Mode! Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack Gravekeeper's Curse!!" Obnoxious Celtic Guardian heard Yugi's command and charged forward, Yugi calling out his attack name. "Elven Saber!"

Celtic Guardian leapt up into the air, came down and slashed Gravekeeper's Curse right along the middle of his torso, destroying him, and dropping Ishtar's own Life Points by 600 points.

Ishtar's Life Points - 3400 Yugi's Life Points - 3500

"Wow... so close so far..." Taro blinked. "And it's just the start of this Shadow Game! I hope Yugi can do all right and win... this isn't gonna be easy..."

T? nodded. "Yeah. But how can Shadow Games still exist, even with the Millennium Items gone?"

Solomon and Professor Harrison came running out as Solomon said "What is going on?"

"Well, Dad, Yugi seems to be Dueling some ghost who wants vengeance against him for some reason..." Suki replied. "That is all we know, and it is a Shadow Game of sorts..."

"Did you say...?" Professor Harrison spoke, stopping for a moment, before he continued. "A Shadow Game"  
"Yes. It is like we feel it may be, Professor..." Yuu said. "But we cannot stop it. I know my son will do alright. It is Duel Monsters and he excels at it quite well."

Yugi looked at his hand and said "I will now set a card face-down and that is the end of my turn!" A vertically face-down Duel Monsters card flashed right behind Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Yugi exhaling softly.

"My turn. Draw." Ishtar waved his left hand, a card sliding out to join his "hand" as he looked at his cards, one moving out and then appeared in front of him into a horizontal face-down card appeared. "I will set one Monster face-down... and that will end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and said "Now I will set a Monster face-down too. And that's the end of that!"

"My turn. Draw." Ishtar smiled and chuckled. "Now, Yugi, I will get more of a hand... Magic Card! Pot of Greed!" The art of Pot of Greed appeared, grinning as Yugi said "I don't think so! The second you attempted to activate Pot of Greed, you triggered my Trap Card! Counter Trap Card, activate! Magic Jammer!"

Flipping his face-down Trap Card, Yugi's Trap Card, Magic Jammer, had a circle with a kind of symbol inside of it, as it began to glow. Yugi then began to explain Magic Jammer's effect. "With Magic Jammer, I can discard a card from my hand to negate the activation of a Magic Card and destroy it! And I will! I discard... Sinister Serpent!" In a flash, Sinister Serpent, which Yugi held up, began to disappear, as Magic Jammer began to glow once more.

MAGIC JAMMER Counter Trap Card Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate the activation of a Magic Card and destroy it.

"Hmph. You think you can stop it that easily. I won't allow that to happen... I discard this!" Slowly, Ishtar revealed his card in his hand and smiled. "Gravekeeper's Watcher!"

Suddenly in a flash, a man with a black beard, with black and white Egyptian-esque robes appeared, holding out a hieroglyph began to glow, raising his hand up, blowing up Magic Jammer and Pot of Greed's effect kicking in.

GRAVEKEEPER'S WATCHER Dark/Spellcaster/4/1000 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: When your opponent activates a card that includes an effect whereby your opponent discards from his/her hand, send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate the activation and the effect of the card and destroy it.

Magic Jammer began to glow brightly, then exploded, as Yugi cried out, Ishtar drawing two cards, getting Terraforming as one of his cards, smiling. "Now I activate the Normal Magic Card, Terraforming! This Magic Card will let me add 1 Field Magic Card..." In a flash, another card appeared in front of Ishtar as he turned it around. "Now I activate said Field Magic Card! My Field Magic Card... is Necrovalley!!"

NECROVALLEY Field Magic Card Effect: As long as this card remains on the Field, negate the effects of Magic, Trap, and Monster Cards that affect a card(s) in the Graveyard, and neither player can remove cards in the Graveyards from play. Also, as long as this card remains on the Field, increase the ATK and DEF of all Monsters that include "Gravekeeper's" in their card name by 500 points.

Suddenly, the earth shook, everyone looking all over as canyons appeared all around, Ishtar smiling. "First things first. I Flip Summon Gravekeeper's Spy"  
Appearing from his set card, a young man decked out in all black robes, appearing partially transparent, floated in front of Ishtar.

GRAVEKEEPER'S SPY Dark/Spellcaster/4/1200 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: Flip: Special Summon 1 Monster Card that includes "Gravekeeper's" in its' card name with an ATK of 1500 or less from your Deck.

In a glow of light, Ishtar smiled. "Not only will I get Gravekeeper's Spy's effect... I will now also have a much stronger Monster. Thanks to my Field Magic Card, Necrovalley, the ATK and DEF of all Monsters with Gravekeeper's in their card name get an ATK and DEF increase of 500 points..."

Gravekeeper's Spy's ATK/DEF - 1700/2500

"Now I will Special Summon a Monster that includes 'Gravekeeper's' in its' card name with an ATK of 1500 points or less. Thus, I Special Summon Gravekeeper's Vassal in Attack Mode"  
In a flash, a small man with a slightly bird-like nose , rubbing his hands together, a grin on his face, with a spotted turban on his head, a green scarf around his neck, and his robes similar to his turban as he chuckled.

GRAVEKEEPER'S VASSAL Dark/Spellcaster/3/700 ATK/500 DEF Effect: The Battle Damage this card inflicts to your opponent's Life Points is treated as Effect Damage instead.

Gravekeeper's Vassal's body began to glow, his ATK going up to 1200, his DEF to 1000, as Ishtar raised up his right hand and smiled. "Now I will Normal Summon a Monster! Come out, Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!"

Another Egyptian garbed man appeared, black and purple robes with a black headdress appeared, holding a spear in both hands as he glared across the Field, holding a spear in hand, gripping it tightly.

GRAVEKEEPER'S SPEAR SOLDIER Dark/Spellcaster/4/1500 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: When the card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

Ishtar now had 4 cards in his hand as he smiled. "Now I will finish your Monsters. Gravekeeper's Spy! Attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Gravekeeper's Spy disappeared then placed his hand on Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's chest, causing Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to cry out, destroying him, dropping Yugi's Life Points by 300 points to 3200 points.

"Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier, attack his set card!!" Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier charged, impaling his spear into Yugi's set card, as it was revealed to be Marshmalon, who bounced Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier's spear off, Yugi groaning even more, his Life Points dropped by 1500 points to 1700 as Ishtar smiled. "Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier's effect allows me to deal damage to your Life Points, so you lose 1500 Life Points due to your small fry's DEF of 500 points."

"Heh..." Yugi wiped his forehead, smiling. "But you're going to take some damage too. When Marshmalon is attacked face-down, you take 1000 points of damage."

Ishtar flinched a bit, groaning, his Life Points dropped to 2400, as Yugi smiled. "And since Marshmalon can't be destroyed in battle, you can't attack it with Gravekeeper's Vassal. Even if its' Battle Damage is treated as Effect Damage."

"Very well. I will set a card face-down..." Ishtar's 3rd card disappeared, appearing right behind the Gravekeeper army he had set up, as he smiled. "You should know, Yugi... with Necrovalley... you can no longer access your Graveyard, and neither can I. So we both have a disadvantage... but this Shadow Game will end soon... you've only 1700 Life Points, and I am at 2400... you cannot win. You can just end the pain and surrender... that is all you have to understand."

"I won't quit." Yugi smiled. "I'm not the kind of guy to quit, really. I may have gotten scared in the past, but I won't lose that easily! All I can do is fight with all I got! My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking at his hand as he knew now with Sinister Serpent in his Graveyard, he couldn't use his effect to get him back into his hand. He took his next card and held it out. "I now Sacrifice Marshmalon and Normal Summon one of my strongest single Sacrifice Monster! Come out, Summoned Skull!"

In a crash of thunder, Summoned Skull appeared, roaring loudly, as he floated in front of Yugi. Yugi took another card from his hand and said "Following up, I play Horn of the Unicorn, which raises the ATK and DEF of my Equipped Monster by 700 points, raising Summoned Skull to 3200 ATK, and 1900 DEF!"

Summoned Skull roared, as the rounded Horn of the Unicorn appeared on his forehead, his black claws curved as he spread his wings out. "Next up, I play the Magic Card, Makiu!"

MAKIU Normal Magic Card Effect: Select either "Summoned Skull" or any Thunder-Type Monster. All Monsters with a DEF less than the ATK of the selected card are destroyed. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase during the turn this card is activated.

"Makiu can only work when Summoned Skull or a Thunder-Type Monster is on my side of the Field. All Monsters with a DEF lower than the DEF of the selected card are destroyed, and I can't enter my Battle Phase. Summoned Skull is at 3200 ATK, Gravekeeper's Spy is at 2500 DEF, Gravekeeper's Vassal is at 1200 DEF, and Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier is at 1500 DEF! Time for your Gravekeepers to say bye! Summoned Skull! Magical Mist Thunder Storm! Take out the Field!"

Summoned Skull roared loudly, crashes of thunder spiralling all over the Field, blasting all of Ishtar's Gravekeepers, leaving his Field cleared except for his set card as Yugi smiled, and took a card from his hand, setting it face-down into his Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I will set a card face-down, and end my turn." A vertically placed Duel Monsters card appeared behind Summoned Skull.

"Hmph... my turn. Draw." Ishtar "drew" his next card and cackled. "I will defeat you still, Yugi... and I have just drawn the card I will need to begin my finish against you! HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHH"  
Yugi looked on, blinking, wondering what Ishtar meant... and just what he would do in this game...

-To Be Continued...- 


	28. Chapter 28

Episode 28 - Breaking The Shadow Game! Wings of Evolution and Winged Kuriboh LV10!

Yugi stood there, looking on at Ishtar, his Life Points at 1700, Ishtar's at 2400, as Yugi had Summoned Skull equipped with Horn of the Unicorn on the Field, and his set card. Ishtar smiled as he said "Now... you will lose."

"That's a big declaration!" Taro cried out. "And why do you want to kill Yugi!? What'd he ever do to you when he was alive"  
TИa nodded. "We have a right to know. Why do you hate Yugi so much?"

Ishtar stood there, then smirked. "Simply because of what he caused"  
"What is it you say my son did to you, Ishtar?" Yuu asked, arms at his sides. "All I know is he completed the Millennium Puzzle.."

Suki nodded. "It was a great treasure to him from his grandfather so how can you say you want him dead when all he did was complete it?"

"I told you... he caused my death."

Everyone else looked in surprise, Yugi looking in a bit of anger. "My family had guarded the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace for centuries. My father before me, and my grandfather before me. All we could do was wait for the fated Pharaoh's return. In the end, something overcame my son when I was attempting to kill a worthless servant... and then I died! Is that what I deserve!? My loyalty was unbound, and all I received was murder at the hands of my own son!! Now I will take my vengeance on the one who completed the Millennium Puzzle!!"

"You're wrong! It's not my fault you died, Ishtar!" Yugi replied. Ishtar flinched. "What?"

"You died because of Marik's dark side taking over! All I know is he was created the day you gave him that tattoo of the Tablet of Memory on his back!" Yugi added. "Marik's dark side was born of his hatred because of that, and that's why you died! And it wasn't fate or something else! It was merely an incident out of anyone's control!"

"You lie! And I will break you into the ground! My turn is still going! Trap Card, activate! Rite of Spirit! This Trap Card's activation and effect are unaffected by Necrovalley, and now I can Special Summon 1 Monster with Gravekeeper's in its' card name from my Graveyard! Gravekeeper's Watcher! Return!"

RITE OF SPIRIT Normal Trap Card Effect: Select 1 Monster Card that includes "Gravekeeper's" in its' card name from your Graveyard and Special Summon it. This card's activation and effect are unaffected by "Necrovalley".

In a flash, Gravekeeper's Watcher appeared in front of Ishtar, holding his tablet under his right hand, his ATK and DEF going up to 1500 and 1500 each thanks to Necrovalley. "Now I play the Magic Card, Graceful Charity! This will allow me to draw 3 new cards, then discard any two from my hand to the Graveyard!" 3 cards slid to join Ishtar's "hand" as then two disappeared. "Now... I Sacrifice Gravekeeper's Spy, in order to summon the strongest of them all... come forth, Gravekeeper's Chief!"

GRAVEKEEPER'S CHIEF Dark/Spellcaster/5/1900 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: You can only have 1 "Gravekeeper's Chief" on your side of the Field. As long as this card remains on the FIeld, your Graveyard is unaffected by the effect of "Necrovalley". If you Sacrifice Summon this card sucessfully, you can Special Summon 1 Monster Card that includes "Gravekeeper's" in its' card name from your Graveyard to the Field.

In a flash, a man with a black beard, white and purple and black Egyptian robes appeared before Ishtar, chuckling as he smiled. Ishtar smiled and said "Now... with the Chief of the Gravekeepers on the Field, my Graveyard is now unaffected by Necrovalley... and there's more... now I can Special Summon another Gravekeeper thnaks to my Sacrifice Summon of Gravekeeper's Chief! Come forth, Gravekeeper's Assailant!"

"Gravekeeper's Assailant?! You didn't have that in your Graveyard before! Unless you discarded it to Graceful Charity"  
Ishtar smirked, as appearing in front of him was a slender woman form, a curved knife in her hand, her face hidden under a black cloth covering her mouth, as the rest of the black was a cloak, with gold around her wrists and ankles, the rest of her robes being purple.

GRAVEKEEPER'S ASSAILANT Dark/Spellcaster/4/1500 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: You cannot activate this card's effect unless "Necrovalley" is on the Field. When this card declares an attack, you can change the battle position of 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field.

Gravekeeper's Assailant's body began to glow, due to the massive canyon that was Necrovalley. Her stats then went from 1500 ATK and 1500 DEF to 2000 ATk and DEF each. "Gravekeeper's Assailant, attack Summoned Skull!"

"Is he crazy!?" Taro blinked. "Gravekeeper's Assailant has 2000 ATK, and Summoned Skull has 3200 ATK!"

Solomon walked forward. "No. He plans to use Gravekeeper's Assailant's effect. While Necrovalley is on the Field, when Gravekeeper's Assailant declares an attack, she can change the battle position of a face-up Monster, so he must be planning to turn Yugi's Summoned Skull to Defense Mode, since he only has 1900 with Horn of the Unicorn. That means Ishtar knew what he was doing when he summoned her!"

Taro gulped as he said "Oh, boy... this is not good at all!"

Yugi gasped as Gravekeeper's Assailant began to glow, Summoned Skull groaning as he was shifted to Defense Mode, as Gravekeeper's Assailant flashed behind him and Ishtar called out her attack. "Assassin Blade." Gravekeeper's Assailant twisted then slashed Summoned Skull right in half, easily destroying him, and leaving Yugi's Life Points wide open!

TИa gasped. "Yugi's got no more Monsters, and even with his set card, Ishtar's got a shot at his Life Points!"

"Heh! This is the end! Gravekeeper's Chief! Attack his Life Points directly!" Ishtar smirked, Gravekeeper's Chief's hands began to glow with a red light, shooting a blast at Yugi. Yugi then then raised his hand up. "Trap Card activate! Nutrient Z!!" Yugi cried out, taking Gravekeeper's Chief's attack, everyone observing the Duel gasping in shock, Ishtar laughing maniacally, thinking he'd won.

Yugi groaned, but Ishtar blinked. "W-what's going on!? How is it I have not taken possession of your body"  
"Nutrient Z... whenever I take Battle Damage of 2000 points or more, I can activate Nutrient Z, gaining 4000 Life Points, before my LP is decreased. So now I'm at 5700!" Yugi smiled, then flinched, his Life Points rolling down from 5700 to 3300, -2400. "And now I'm at 3300. So I'm still in this."

"Bah." Ishtar scoffed. "I will set 2 cards face-down and end my turn"  
Yugi nodded. "My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking at his hand, having Draining Shield, Coins from Heaven, and Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight. To use his effect, Yugi knew he had to have no other cards in his hand. He took his two cards and said "I will set two cards face-down, and now I can use the effect of a Monster in my hand. I Normal Summon Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight via his effect in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a knight in mostly blue armor appeared, riding on a purple horse, holding two red lances appeared. Gaia's armor had red lining along his chest plate, as well as yellow around the edge his shoulder armor and armor on his upper leg areas and around his knees. His wrists and ankles were in white, and his helmet had kinds of horns protruding from it, 2 going upward, 2 going downward, and another in the middle of his helmet sliding upward, with much of his body not in armor covered in black. His steed seemed to have a similar mask only with 2 horns instead, as well as a yellow mane and tail hair. Gaia let out a cry as his steed neighed mightly, both ready to go.

SWIFT GAIA THE FIERCE KNIGHT Dark/Warrior/7/2300 ATK/2100 DEF Effect: If this is the only card in your hand, you can Summon this card in face-up Attack Mode without Sacrificing Monsters. This is treated as a Normal Summon.

"What? How can you Normal Summon a Level 7 like Swift Gaia without Sacrifices?" Taro asked. "Hey, Grandpa, I forget what his effect was!"

Solomon chuckled a bit. "Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight's effect is you can Normal Summon him without Sacrifices if you have no other cards in your hand. So Yugi knew what he was doing when he set his two remaining cards from his hand, regardless of what they were. He needed a Monster now, and it seems he got what he needed."

"But the only Monster he can attack is Gravekeeper's Assailant, and that has 2000 ATK." Suki replied. "Yugi would only defeat her before Gravekeeper's Chief could then destroy Gaia"  
Yuu smiled, listening to what his wife said, and was thoroughly impressed. "Well, Suki-chan, it seems you've been getting Duel Monsters' rules down rather well since you've been watching Yugi Duel"  
Suki blushed at this compliment, TИa clasping her hands together, worried for Yugi.

"Gaia, attack Gravekeeper's Assailant!" Yugi cried out. Gaia roared, his horse stampeding across the canyon-like setting, pulling his left spear back, Yugi calling out his attack. "Spiral Saber!!"

Gaia thrusted his spear out, a spiralling, yet sharp wind wrapping around it, as he then connected the end of his spear against Gravekeeper's Assailant, destroying her in one swift strike as Ishtar chuckled. "Activate Continuous Trap Card! Spirit Barrier"  
In a flash, Spirit Barrier flipped face-up, a ghost-like being wrapping around Ishtar as he cackled, a confident, but arrogant smirk on his face.

SPIRIT BARRIER Continuous Trap Card Effect: As long as a Monster(s) remain(s) on your side of the Field, Battle Damage done to the controller of this card becomes 0.

"Now, as long as I have a Monster or Monsters on my side of the Field, Spirit Barrier makes all Battle Damage I receive 0. So that means you can't touch me as long as I have Monsters on the Field." Ishtar still smirked.

"Well, you still have 3 cards in your hand, and I have no cards, but I can change that. Magic Card, activate!" Yugi's set card began to flip up slowly, shining as he said "Coins from Heaven!" From the sky, gold coins began to fall to earth as Yugi smiled, beginning to explain the effect. "When Coins from Heaven is activated, we both get to draw cards until we have 6 cards in our hands. I have no cards in my hands, so I'll draw 6 and you get to draw 3 cards!"

Yugi quickly drew his 6 cards, Ishtar "drawing" 3 cards, as Yugi looked at his hand, getting Wings of Evolution, Kishido Spirit, Call of the Haunted, which he knew did him no good thanks to Necrovalley sealing his Graveyard, as well as Electromagnetic Turtle, Penguin Soldier, and Kuriboh. He didn't know what to expect so he exhaled and said "Turn end."

⌠My turn! Draw!■ Ishtar added a 7th card to his ⌠hand■. ⌠Hehehehehe... now I will summon the strongest of all Gravekeepers! And it will be a Special Summon. I sacrifice Gravekeeper▓s Chief in order to Special Summon Gravekeeper▓s Elder in Attack Mode!!■

In a flash, Gravekeeper▓s Chief screamed out, a flash of light overcoming him as there stood an old man holding a long staff with a cobra at the end of it, much like Gravekeeper▓s Chief▓s card art had, but this one was also elegantly covered with gems, as Gravekeeper▓s Elder also had golden shoulder armor on his black cloak, a purple sash around his waist as he smiled.

GRAVEKEEPER▓S ELDER Dark/Spellcaster/7/2500 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Sacrificing a face-up ⌠Gravekeeper▓s Chief■ on your side of the Field. As long as this card remains on the Field, your Graveyard is unaffected by the effect of ⌠Necrovalley■. When this card has been successfully Special Summoned, Special Summon as many Monster Cards in your Graveyard that include ⌠Gravekeeper▓s■ in their card name to your side of the FIeld.

⌠Heh heh heh... now thanks to Necrovalley, Gravekeeper▓s Elder gains 500 ATK and DEF, making him 3000 ATK, 2500 DEF... as well as it being able to allow me Graveyard to be unaffected by Necrovalley, just like Gravekeeper▓s Chief, but now I can Special Summon as many Gravekeepers from my Graveyard as I can! Now... come forth my four Gravekeepers!■ Isthar cried out, holding his hand up.

In a flash, Gravekeeper▓s Assailant, Gravekeeper▓s Spy, Gravekeeper▓s Curse, and Gravekeeper▓s Spear Soldier all took to the Field, as Ishtar chuckled devilishlly. ⌠And now, you take 500 points of damage thanks to my Special Summoning Gravekeeper▓s Curse once more, Yugi... and you will suffer more pain!■

Yugi soon cried out as Gravekeeper▓s Curse began to glow, surging pain coursing through his body as his Life Points dropped to 2800 points. Ishtar then smiled, motioning to his second set card. ⌠Now I activate my next Trap Card, Gift of the Mystical Elf! For every Monster on the Field, I gain 300 Life Points! There is 6 so I gain 1800 Life Points.■

Ishtar closed his eyes, his Life Points increasing from 2400 to 4200 points, as he then said ⌠And now, it is time for me to end this! Gravekeeper▓s Elder, attack and destroy Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight!■

Gravekeeper▓s Elder raised his staff up, slashing the air, with a blade of red light spiralling at Gaia, destroying him. Gaia cried out, as Yugi cried out also, his LP dropped to 2100 points. Yugi groaned again, panting, some sweat slowly starting to bead down his forehead, as Ishtar called for the next attack. ⌠Gravekeeper▓s Spear Soldier, attack his Life Points directly!!■ Gravekeeper▓s Spear Soldier leapt into mid-air, about to stab Yugi, but Yugi then cried out ⌠TRAP CARD, ACTIVATE!! DRAINING SHIELD!!■

Quickly, Draining Shield revealed itself, a green barrier wrapping around Yugi, blocking Gravekeeper▓s Spear Soldier▓s attack, raising Yugi▓s Life Points by 2000 to 4100, as Ishtar scoffed and said ⌠Next, I will have Gravekeeper▓s Assailant attack!■

Gravekeeper▓s Assailant charged forward, slashing across Yugi, who groaned, panting even more, the stress of the Shadow Game starting to overwhelm him, as he wobbled, feeling as if he was going to faint any minute now, his Life Points at 2100. ⌠Gravekeeper▓s Spy, attack him again!!■

Gravekeeper▓s Spy disappeared, then reappeared, his palm resting on Yugi▓s chest, Yugi screaming out in what felt like agony as Taro, TИa, Yuu, Suki, Solomon, and Professor Harrison all cried out ⌠YUGI!!■ when Yugi took the attack, his Life Points now dropped to just a meager 400 Life Points now. Ishtar smiled, feeling victory was close.

⌠It seems this is the end, Yugi. You have just enough Life for my Gravekeeper▓s Curse to finish you off. Gravekeeper▓s Curse, destroy Yugi▓s Life Points!!■ Ishtar cried out, Gravekeeper▓s Curse raising his staff up as he then grinned and said ⌠PERISH!!■

Yugi then took Kuriboh from his hand and said ⌠Now, I activate Kuriboh▓s effect, discarding him from my hand to drop Battle Damage from Gravekeeper▓s Curse to 0!!■ Sliding its▓ card into his Duel Disk▓s Graveyard slot, Kuriboh appeared, then spread out into thousands of Kuribohs, Gravekeeper▓s Curse▓s attack blocked and Yugi▓s Life Points protected.

⌠Feh... foolishness, boy. You may have more Monsters in your hand... but I▓ll get rid of them. Magic Card, activate!■ Ishtar cried out. ⌠ROYAL TRIBUTE!!■

Taro gulped. ⌠Oh, crud, that means Yugi and Ishtar gotta discard all Monster Cards in their hand! This card can only be activated when Necrovalley's in play, sure, but it still is a pain, since whatever hand Yugi has is gonna be killed if he loses his Monsters!■

⌠That▓s not good if Yugi has any other Monsters in his hand.■ TИa replied. ⌠He may not be able to defend his Life Points!■

In a flash, Electromagnetic Turtle and Penguin Soldier disappeared from Yugi▓s hand, as Ishtar lost one Monster to Royal Tribute▓s effect, a smile on his face.

ROYAL TRIBUTE Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when ⌠Necrovalley■ is on your side of the Field. Both players discard all Monster Cards in their hands to the Graveyard.

⌠Turn end.■ Ishtar smirked. ⌠And next turn... if you do not draw a Monster, your body is mine!■ Yugi groaned, standing up slowly, panting. ⌠My... turn... DRAWWWWW!!■ Yugi then placed his hand on his Deck, drawing quickly, his eyes closed, as he then looked and saw he had drawn Winged Kuriboh! He looked at Wings of Evolution, remembering what his dad said about it.

"When the time comes, you will know what it will do to help you."

▒OK, Dad... let▓s see if you▓re right. Winged Kuriboh... I need you to work with me on this, buddy...▓ Yugi thought, closing his eyes, as he smiled then said ⌠I summon Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!■

Winged Kuriboh appeared onto the Field, his card turned horizontally as he let out a ⌠Kuri, Kuri!■ Ishtar looked at Yugi▓s Winged Kuriboh and laughed confidently. ⌠You feel that this small fry Monster is going to defeat me!? If you feel it can, show me.■

⌠I will. I▓ll set a card face-down and end my turn.■ Yugi replied, setting Wings of Evolution, still having Call of the Haunted and Kishido Spirit in his hand. Ishtar smiled. ⌠My turn. Draw. Now... this is the end. Gravekeeper▓s Elder! Destroy that small fry!! BLADE OF RED DEATH!!■

Gravekeeper▓s Elder held his staff up, as it began to glow brightly, slashing the air. Yugi looked on and said ⌠Now it▓s time to see what you can do!! Activate Quickplay Magic Card, Wings of Evolution!!

Ishtar looked in shock, as Yugi discarded the last two cards in his hand, everyone else saying ⌠What the...?!■, but Yuu was smiling as Yugi watched a bright light wrap around Hane Kuriboh, Gravekeeper▓s Elder▓s attack hitting the barrier as then, larger wings appeared, Hane Kuriboh standing firm against Gravekeeper▓s Elder▓s attack, his fur now a light purple, a golden dragon-like helmet on his head, with the golden dragon-like figure▓s head sticking out, a red gem in the center as well as golden phoenix feathers spreading outward from the back, as it stood still.

⌠Wh-what is this!?■ Ishtar gapsed in shock as Yugi smiled and said ⌠Now I get it... Dad wasn▓t kidding! Now, Wings of Evolution will evolve Winged Kuriboh to Winged Kuriboh LV10!!■ Yugi cried out. ⌠And now I can use Winged Kuriboh LV10▓s effect by sacrificing him to destroy all your Attack Mode Monsters and inflict damage to your Life Points!■

WINGED KURIBOH LV10 Light/Angel/10/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Wings of Evolution". Sacrifice this face-up card on your side of the Field to destroy all face-up Attack Mode Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field and inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the combined original ATK of those destroyed Monsters. You can only activate this effect during your opponent's Battle Phase.

⌠Hane Kuriboh! Redirect his attack and take them all out!!■ Yugi cried out, thrusting his arm forward. Hane Kuriboh began to glow, crying out ⌠Kuri!!■, reflecting Gravekeeper▓s Elder▓s attack, ripping through him, Assailant, Curse, Spear Soldier, and Spy as Ishtar cried out, his Life Points rolling to 0 instantly due to their combined ATK equalling a total of 7500 points and Ishtar▓s Life Points being only at 4100. Ishtar stood in shock, as Yugi looked over to him.

⌠Ishtar... I didn▓t cause your death like I said...■ Yugi groaned. ⌠...all I did... was complete the Millennium Puzzle... whatever occured... was not my fault...■ Falling backwards, Yugi groaned, as Ishtar began to fade away. Running forward, TИa caught Yugi, holding him, frowning. ⌠Yugi...? Can you hear me? Please... speak to me...■

Yuu looked on, the field of Necrovalley disappearing... the Shadow Game over. He looked over at his son, kneeling down as he smiled. ▒It seems you did well, Yugi... I am sorry you are going to be hurting for a bit now because of this... but you▓ll be fine.▓

Yuu walked over to TИa, taking Yugi up into his arms and said ⌠We▓ll make sure to get him home, TИa. I promise.■

⌠Thank you, Mr. Mutoh...■ TИa replied, exhaling, as Yuu nodded, the day over, Yugi passed out from the Shadow Game. But this was just the beginning... possibily in the future, Yugi would have to Duel in more Shadow Games, and he would be tested in that... but for now... Yugi would have time to rest, since the Shadow Game left him out cold...

-To Be Continued...- 


	29. Chapter 29

Episode 29 - Melody's Troublesome Disaster! Legend Devil Strikes!

Taro Mutoh was sitting at his desk, yawning a bit, resting his arms on it, then his chin on his arms, closing his eyes. Joey walked up, looking all over then said "Taro, where's Yugi?"

"Yuge's... at home... passed out... kinda like how I wanna be right now..." Taro soon let out a yawn, slowly feeling his lethargy get to him. Joey blinked. "At home!? How come Yugi's there?! What the heck is goin' on!?"

"Well, Yugi got into a Shadow Game the other night, Joey. It took alot out of him, so you can understand why he's not with us right now." T? replied. "When we got him back to his house, he just was asleep. It must be because of his exhaustion from the Shadow Game. Taro and I were with him quite awhile before I went home... but Yugi hadn't woken up by the time I was heading home... so he could be out still."

Joey sat on his desk and whistled. "Wow. A Shadow Game... I figured once the Millennium Items were gone that Yugi wouldn't have had to worry about Shadow Games"  
Tristan nodded, arms behind his head. "Was it a Card Hunter he dueled, you guys?"

"Nope! A ghost!" T? replied. "I know it sounds very unlikely, Joey, but let's think about everything else we've been through with Yugi since he completed the Millennium Puzzle, and you know it's true..."

"Hmm. Good point." Joey replied, nodding. Melody came walking up, arms behind her back as she blinked at the sight of the sleeping Taro, who was snoring slightly now. Walking up to the fast-asleep Taro, Melody nudged him. "Taro... Taro?"

Duke came up and moved Melody's hand, then said "Let me try." Duke lifted Taro's head up and then shouted out "WAKE UP!!"

Crying out, Taro fell over, groaning as he hit the ground, eyes swirling, awhile he stood up slowly, looking annoyed. "Duke... that does it!!" In a flash, Taro leapt up and smashed Duke hard with a headbutt, knocking him down. Groaning, Duke rubbed his forehead. "What the hell, Taro!?"

"You didn't need to scream to wake me up! Idiot!" Taro groaned, rubbing his own forehead. "I was gonna wake up eventually"  
Seeing this sight, Melody giggled then blushed a bit. "Uhm... Taro"  
"Yeah?" Taro turned to Melody slowly, blinking. "What's up?"

Melody began to gently rub her hands together, everyone looking over at him, while she blushed more. "I wanted to tell you something..."

"What exactly?"

"Well, I ... I..."

Suddenly, one of the larger male students in the class, Kuzukishi, walked over to Melody, grinning as he wrapped his arm around her neck. "Nosaka, why do you even hang around with a shorty like Mutoh's cousin when you could get a great guy like me who's so much taller?! I mean, the short stuff has spunk, but his height must be a hindering thing for you!"

"I'd rather be with someone like Taro than someone like you, Kuzukishi!" Melody replied, slipping out of his arm, scoffing, beginning to dust off her uniform. "Someone like you who has to bully others to get what he wants is not a good thing to me. Taro doesn't try to hurt people all the time, unlike you!"

Kuzukishi scoffed, Taro walking inbetween him and Melody. "Now you can do this the easy way or the hard way, Kuzukishi! I can hit pretty hard for a short guy, so don't think I won't do it if you attempt to lay another finger on her! So help me, bubba, I will deck you out in one blow!"

"Like to see ya try!" Kuzukishi scoffed, brushing his dark blue hair, as Joey, Tristan, and Duke came up, standing by Taro's side. Melody then stepped forward and pointed her index finger against Kuzukishi's nose. "I have one suggestion though... this is what I have to suggest. Do you play Duel Monsters?"

"Syeah! Who doesn't!?" Kuzukishi smiled, crossing his arms.  
Melody smiled softly. "Good. Then I know what to do. This is what we'll do. We'll Duel. A simple wager will be placed. If I win, you will leave me alone"  
Taro blinked in surprise, surprised by Melody's sudden courage, but smiling.

"OK! If I win... you will be my girl! How's that seem for fair?!" Kuzukishi smiled, arms crossed. Joey, T?, Tristan, Duke, and Taro especially all were shocked by this, Melody closing her eyes, then nodding. "I accept the challenge!"

At lunch, Melody was beginning to look at her Deck, shuffling it thoroughly, as Taro slid next to her. "Mel, you sure you wanna do this? I mean, that guy is a grade-A jerk, but ya still wanna respect his skill in a Duel... but why wager something like that!?"

"He made the wager, not me, Taro, so I just can't back down if it means he could leave me alone..." Melody smiled. "Besides, if I want to be with osmeone, I want it to be you..."

Taro blushed when he heard Melody say that, but smiled. "Wow... really?"

"Yep!" Melody smiled, then kissed Taro's cheek, standing up, grabbing her Duel Disk, sliding it on, then getting her Deck into her Duel Disk, walking up to Kuzukishi, smiling, as he had his Deck and Duel Disk on, arms crossed as he waited for her. Melody exhaled but smiled. "Ready when you are, Kuzukishi."

"Fine! Let's get started then!" Kuzukishi smiled, he and Melody drawing 5 cards, both saying "DUEL!!" at the same time, everyone watching on, as Melody smiled and said "First turn! Draw!"

Taro looked on, looking a bit nervous, T?., Tristan, Joey, and Duke looking on also, while Melody placed her fingers on her Deck. "Draw!" Melody drew her sixth card, beginning to look at her hand to think about what to do first. She then nodded, taking a card from her hand and said "I will summon Charcoal Inpachi in Defense Mode!"

In a flash, a blackened Inpachi appeared on the Field, sitting down, its' legs outward, arms at the sides of its' legs, its' body motionless, steam rising up from its' body as Melody smiled, taking a card, then slid it behind her Charcoal Inpachi into her Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card slot, smiling. "Next I will set one card face-down. And that's the end of my turn."

CHARCOAL INPACHI Fire/Pyro/1/100 ATK/2100 DEF

A Duel Monsters card appeared behind Charcoal Inpachi, as Melody exhaled.  
"My turn then! Draw!" Kuzukishi drew, smiling, then said "I play Mystic Tomato in Attack Mode"  
In a flash, a large red tomato appeared onto the Field, but this one had the appearance of a jack 'o' lantern, a cackle from the tomato as it appeared in front of Kuzukishi.

MYSTIC TOMATO Dark/Plant/4/1400 ATK/1100 DEF Effect: When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can Special Summon 1 DARK Monster with an ATK of 1500 or less in face-up Attack Mode from your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck.

"And I will end my turn with that!" Kuzukishi smiled.  
'Weird... why did he just summon it alone? He didn't even set a card. Does he plan to get its' effect?' Taro began to think, rubbing his chin.

"My turn. Draw!" Melody drew her next card, blinking. She took a card from her hand and said "I will set a Monster face-down first things first." A Duel Monsters card quickly flashed right next to Charcoal Inpachi, turned vertically, Melody then taking Charcoal Inpachi, turning it to Attack Mode. "And now I place Charcoal Inpachi in Attack Mode!"

Charcoal Inpachi slowly stood up, a creaking sound occuring from its' charcoal body getting up to its' feet. Melody looked at her hand and held up her card of choice. "Now I play the Magic Card, Triangle Power!"

TRIANGLE POWER Normal Magic Card Effect: Increase the original ATK and DEF of all face-up Level 1 Normal Monsters (except Tokens) on your side of the Field by 2000 points. Destroy all Level 1 Normal Monsters on your side of the Field during the End Phase.

In a flash, a triangle fused around Charcoal Inpachi, Melody smiling. "Even if my Dack has lots of Low Level Monsters in it, my Magic Cards more than make up for it! Triangle Power can increase the ATK of all face-up Level 1 Monsters on my side of the Field that are not Tokens, and are Normal Monsters. This will raise their ATK and DEF by 2000 points, even if they're destroyed during the end of my turn!"

The triangle soon dispersed, Charcoal Inpachi's ATK now at 2100, its' DEF at 4100 as Kuzukishi looked in surprise at the sudden increase in Charcoal Inpachi's attack, but Melody smiled, as she said "Trap Card, activate! Human-Wave Tactics!"

HUMAN WAVE TACTICS Continuous Trap Card Effect: During the End Phase of each turn, select a number of Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters from your Deck equal to the number of your Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters destroyed as a result of Battle during that turn, and Special Summon them to your side of the Field. The Deck is then shuffled.

"Charcoal Inpachi, attack Mystic Tomato!" Melody called out, Charcoal Inpachi leaping up into mid-air, arms and legs spread out, as Melody smiled. "Charcoal Body Slam!"

Charcoal Inpachi soon enough fell straight at Mystic Tomato like a brick, flattening it, destroying it easily, as Kuzukishi gritted his teeth, his Life Points rolling down from 4000 to 3300. Melody smiled and said "Not so big and bad are you?"

"No. But that's what I needed... now I activate Mystic Tomato's effect, and can Special Summon a Dark Attribute Monster with an ATK of 1500 points or less. And I know just the one... come out, Legend Devil!!"

In a flash of balck and purple light, a large demonic figure appeared. This demon had 4 arms, two that were like claws, the others having kinds of mouths at one end, and extending outward were vicious creatures, as the demon also had black wings on its' back and on the top of its' head, eyes glowing yellow, with brown covering its' legs and tail as it roared.

LEGEND DEVIL (English Name: Legendary Fiend)  
Dark/Demon/6/1500 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: During each of your Standby Phases, the ATK of this card is increased by 700 points.

"What the heck!?" Joey blinked. "Isn't Legend Devil a Level 6!? How can Mystic Tomato Special Summon it?!"

Tristan scratched the top of his head. "Well, its' original Attack is 1500, dude, so I can easily see it being Special Summoned by Mystic Tomato's effect, and it must not count for Level or anything."

"He's right. Yugi told me how the Attribute Searchers, as they're called, those being Giant Rat for Earth, UFO Turtle for Fire, Flying Kamakiri #1 for Wind, Mother Grizzly for Water, Shining Angel for Light, and Mystic Tomato for Dark, can search for Monsters of their Attribute with an ATK of 1500 points, regardless of their Level." T? smiled.

"I see..." Joey replied, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, nodding. Taro sweatdropped, then rubbed his forehead softly. "I can't believe you didn't know that, Joey. That's basics 101 for Duel Monsters to know that factoid!"

"Well excuse me if I forget sometimes, man!" Joey snapped back, Taro sweatdropping slightly.

"And now, I end my turn." Melody smiled. "But since I am in my End Phase, my Charcoal Inpachi, my own Level 1 on the Field, is gone thanks to the second half of Triangle Power's effect."

Charcoal Inpachi flashed, and in a burst, exploded, sent to the Graveyard as Melody exhaled, still having one set Monster at least.

"My turn. Draw!" Kuzukishi smiled, everyone of the class at lunch observing the Duel in shock as Legend Devil's body began to glow with the same kind of purple and black energy when it was Special Summoned, its' ATK going from 1500 to 2200.

"Huh? How come Legend Devil's ATK went up?" Melody blinked.

Kuzukishi chuckled, smiling. "Well, Nosaka, it's simple. Legend Devil's effect is during my Standby Phases, Legend Devil's ATK is going to go up by 700 points... meaning it gets stronger each time it remains on the Field. It can be virtually invincible, even if suspectible to Monster destruction and such... but if your Monsters are all small fry, I've got nothing to worry about."

Kuzukishi then smiled, thrusting his arm forward. "GO, LEGEND DEVIL! Attack her face down card!" Legend Devil's mouth began to flash brightly, a burst of light spiralling forward, blowing up Melody's set Monster, revealing a smaller, cuter version of Gagagigo, Gigobyte. Melody cried out, Gigobyte exploded. She then looked forward and said "Human-Wave Tactics' effect now kicks in since I lost a Level 2 or lower Monster in battle. I Special Summon my favorite Monster to the Field. Come out, Mokey Mokey!"

In a flash, a small white tofu-like angel with a pink antennae-like halo and yellow wings appeared, a blank look on its' face as it softly said "Mokey Mokey."

"What the-!?" Kuzukishi replied, looking in surprise, the girls all watching the Duel crying out "KAWAIIIIII!!" T? smiled and said "Wow! Why bring out Mokey Mokey though?"

Joey clenched his fists and said "Dammit! Why's it gotta be that oddball again!? I can understand Melody's Deck Theme needing Level 3 or lower Monsters, but something that stupid!?"

"Hey, don't knock the Mokey Mokey, man!" Taro replied. "Mokey Mokey is Melody's favorite Monster Card, and you know what it can do since she's kicked your butt with it before too!"

Kuzukishi looked at Mokey Mokey then began to laugh. "Jeez, I figured that this was all you could do is summon small fry. I'll just end my turn since this is gonna be one embarassing defeat for you, Nosaka."

"Don't insult my Deck so easily." Melody said. "Draw! Mokey Mokey happens to be my favorite card, and I won't let anyone insult it. Now I play Happy Lover in Attack Mode."

Appearing next to Mokey Mokey was another cute angel, this one round with a big smile on its' face, small blue eyes, a heart on the top of its' orange head, light pink wings on top, and purple wings, acting as feet.

HAPPY LOVER Light/Angel/2/800 ATK/500 DEF

"Next, I play the Magic Card, Mokey Mokey Smackdown. Now you'll see just how powerful my Deck can really be, Kuzukishi!"

In a flash, the Permanent Magic Card, Mokey Mokey Smackdown appeared, showing an angry Mokey Mokey, its' body red and its' antenna sticking up in an exclamation mark, Melody smiling, thrusting her hand for her next command. "Happy Lover! Attack Legend Devil!"

All of the spectators watching gasped in surprise at Melody's command, Kuzukishi beginning to laugh. "Jeez, Nosaka, suiciding your own small fry into my big bad Legend Devil!" Happy Lover flew up into the air, a fire glowing in its' mouth, Melody calling out its' attack. "Happy Burning!"

A flash of light spiralled at Legend Devil, but it easily blocked the attack then shot a burst of light at Happy Lover, destroying it, dropping Melody's Life Points by a whopping 1400 to 2600 points, but a wide-eyed Mokey Mokey looked in shock, waving its' arms around rapidly, as it then began to get angry, crying out "Mokey Mokey!!"

"What the-!? Is Mokey Mokey having a fit of some kind!?" Kuzukishi blinked. "How the hell...!?"

"Mokey Mokey Smackdown's effect has begun to kick in! Now, since a fellow Angel-Type Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, Mokey Mokey becomes angry, his ATK raised from 300 to 3000!"

Mokey Mokey cried out, waving its' arms rapidly, Melody smiling, Mokey Mokey's ATK now at 3000 as Melody raised her arm up. "Mokey Mokey, attack Legend Devil! Mokey Mokey Wave!" Mokey Mokey soon cried out its name, a wave of sound echoing all over, then blasting Legend Devil to dust, dropping Kuzukishi's Life Points by 800 points to 2500 points as he gritted his teeth in frustration, Melody smiling as she took a Magic Card from her hand and played it. "Magic Card, Mystik Wok. I will now Sacrifice Mokey Mokey and increase my Life Points by its' ATK, which right now is 3000, so that means 3000 Life Points for me."

In a flash, Mokey Mokey disappeared, Melody's Life Points going up to 5600, exhaling as she smiled. "Turn end, and now with Human-Wave Tactics, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Monster once again, and so I'll Special Summon Haniwa in Defense Mode."

In a flash, a small moai like creature with round arms and small feet, its' body made of dirty yellow as it said "Haniwa."

"My turn. Draw." Kuzukishi smiled, and said "First up, I play Monster Reborn! Legend Devil, return!" His Graveyard slot glowing, Legend Devil then reappeared, roaring loudly as it slashed the air. Next, Kuzukishi took a card from his hand and smiled. "Next, I play the Magic Card, Devil's Sanctuary!"

A cloud of black smoke appeared, until a grey altar with a grey gargoyle appeared, eyes glowing red, blue flamed torches at its' sides, as a kind of Metal Devil showed up, most of its' body made of round orbs, with sharp blades for hands and a tail, letting out a squeak.

"W-what the heck?" Melody blinked.

'Devil's Sanctuary. This Magic Card allows me to Special Summon a Metal Devil Token, and said Token can't be destroyed as a result of battle, and any damage I'd take from it being attacked is done to you instead. But it can't attack, and during each of my Standby Phases, I need to pay 1000 Life Points to keep it in play. But... who said anything about keeping it on the Field?"

DEVIL'S SANCTUARY (English Name: Fiend's Sanctuary)  
Normal Magic Card Effect: Special Summon 1 "Metal Devil Token" (Demon-Type/DARK Attribute/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your side of the Field. This Token cannot attack. Any Battle Damage done to the Life Points of the controller of the "Metal Devil Token" is done to the opponent instead. During each of your Standby Phases, pay 1000 Life Points. If you cannot pay, the "Metal Devil Token" is destroyed.

"Now I sacrifice my Metal Devil Token... and I call out a second Legend Devil!" In a flash, another Legend Devil appeared onto the Field, cackling with its' fellow Legend Devil. Melody gulped and began to thought. 'One was bad enough but two? I don't know if I can handle that... but something tells me he's up to something else than just this!'

"Continuing my turn, I play the Equip Magic Card, United We Stand on my first Legend Devil! This Equip Magic Card powers up my Monster equipped with it by 800 points times the number of Monsters on my side of the Field! That is for both ATK and DEF! Since there's 2 Monsters, that's 1600+ ATK and DEF for Legend Devil!"

Legend Devil #1's ATK and DEF - 3100/3400

"Legend Devil 2, attack Haniwa!" Legend Devil's mouth began to glow as it shot a blast of light forward, slicing Haniwa in half, destroying it easily, but at least Melody's Life Points were safe. But then Kuzukishi called it. "LEGEND DEVIL!! !ATTACK HER LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!!"

Legend Devil's mouth began to glow brightly blasting Melody as she cried out, groaning from the attack, her Life Points dropped to 2500 in one shot, Kuzukishi smiling as he then said "Now I'll set a card face-down and end my turn"  
"You forget..." Melody panted, wobbling from the attack. "I can still use Human-Wave Tactics' effect, and I Special Summon a second Mokey Mokey from my Deck."

In a flash, another Mokey Mokey appeared, blinking. "Mokey Mokey"  
"So you just are summoning small fry again. Jeez, Nosaka, don'tcha get it? Your small fry have no chance against a souped-up single card like my own! Building a Deck around one card that you know works is the best way to go! No other path is better than that! But you'll see that once you lose. That I can ensure." Kuzukishi smiled.

Melody frowned sadly, hanging her head down, thinking that Kuzukishi was right, until Taro shouted out "THAT'S NOT TRUE!!"

Everyone watching, even Melody, turned to Taro, who was panting, arms out at his sides. "Melody's Deck's a lot better than you realize, Kuzukishi! The hard work I put into helping her make that Deck will show! C'mon, Mel-chan! You know what Magic Cards you need to shut him up and down! Go for it!"

Melody blinked, but smiled, nodding. "Right!" Slowly, Melody turned to Kuzukishi and smiled. "My turn! Draw!" She closed her eyes as she drew, feeling Taro near her, eyes opening, but a warm smile on her face. "Taro-kun, I can feel the warmth you placed into this Deck... helping me select the right card. I won't let you down. I promise. My Magic Card is..." Melody smiled, showing it to Kuzukishi. "Pot of Greed! Now I can draw 2 more cards!"

Drawing two cards, Melody smiled, getting Enchanting Fitting Room and Law of the Normal, just what she needed. She then took Enchanting Fitting Room and slid it into her Magic/Trap Card Zone. "Next I activate the Magic Card, Enchanting Fitting Room! At the cost of 800 Life points, I can pick up the top 4 cards of my Deck. Any Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters among them, I can immediately Special Summon."

A large fitting room of a kind appeared, 4 cards coming out, and the 4 cards were Haniwa, Gigobyte, Petit Dragon, and Mushroom Man! Melody smiled and said "And I got 4 Monsters! Come out, guys!"

Gigobyte, Haniwa, and Petit Dragon all lined up next to Mokey Mokey, Mushroom Man landing next to him. Mushroom Man had a head shaped like a mushroom, which was red on the top, a grey stem-like torso going downward, as well as asmall arms, with yellow eyes glowing softly then stopping.

MUSHROOM MAN Earth/Plant/2/800 ATK/600 DEF

"Bwa hahahahahahahahahaha!! You're kiddin' right! It's an army of non-effect little small fry Monsters! How can ya expect to win with just those?!"

Melody smiled and said "You'll see. First, I'll turn Mokey Mokey to Attack Mode, just like his friends are." Mokey Mokey then stood tall, a blank look on his face like always. Melody then held out Law of the Normal, back facing Kuzukishi as she smiled. "Kuzukishi, get ready to see the end of this Duel. You are a strong Duelist, but Lady Luck is on my side today! This one card of mine can take out everything and anything your big bad Deck can dish out to me. Activate the Normal Magic Card... The Law of the Normal!"

In a flash, the group of "Small Fry" Monsters lined up, Mokey Mokey on the far left, Mushroom Man next to him, Gigobyte right after, Haniwa next to him, and Petit Dragon floating up next to him as Melody smiled. "Let me explain how Law of the Normal works. All five of my guys are Level 1 or Level 2 Normal Monsters, which I needed to activate this card, and now, they're going to destroy all cards on the Field that don't match that specific, and we also need to send cards from our hand to the Graveyard that aren't Level 2 or lower Normal Monsters. So... bye bye."

Taking most of her hand, except for 1 card, Melody slid them into the Graveyard slot of her Duel Disk, Kuzukishi taking his entire hand and doing the same as all 5 of Melody's Monsters began to glow, then spiralled around, smashing through all of the cards, destroying Human Wave Tactics, United We Stand, and Kuzukishi's two Legend Devils, then reappearing on Melody's side of the Field again.

Kuzukishi cried out, looking about frantically. "My, my cards!"

"Even the small can topple the big! Everyone! 5 way Small Monster Attack! Direct Attack!" Mokey Mokey, Gigobyte, Haniwa, Petit Angel, and Mushroom Man all charged, as Kuzukishi cried out, a big explosion occuring, dropping his Life Points to 0, given the combined ATK of all of Melody's Monsters was 2550. Kuzukishi was now on his back, eyes swirling, groaning as he laid back.

Melody whooped with joy happily, leaping up into the air, all of her Monsters leaping up with her, and then disappearing as she smiled. Taro whooped loudly, running over, Joey standing there in shock. "Wow... Taro helped Melody build her Deck!? No wonder I lose to it!"

"Actually, I think it's because you just underestimate Melody because she's a girl." Tristan replied, Joey twitching then grabbing him in a headlock quickly.

Taro ran up to Melody and smiled. "Hey, Mel, nice work! I knew you'd win! I just knew it, since you had me help ya, and you had a lot of practice with it"  
"Yeah... but your support is a good thing too that helped me, Taro. And well, that's what I wanted to tell you earlier... that I... I..." Melody blushed, but Taro smiled and said "I know whatcha mean, Mel! You love me... right?"

Hearing those words come so casually out of Taro's mouth, Melody blushed, but smiled, nodding. "Yes... I do"  
"Well, I do too, Mel! And no worries about it!" Taro smiled as he leapt up a small bit, then kissed her on the cheek. "I do think you're cute as hell, and I'd be glad to be with ya!"

Melody smiled then hugged Taro to her body, smiling also as both began to laugh at this.

Back at the Kame Game Shop and the Mutohs' home, Yugi laid asleep still, Horus at his side, wondering if Yugi would wake up at any time, worried that maybe the Shadow Game had done more to Yugi than he had bargained... and that Yugi may not wake up, as he frowned, speaking softly. "Yugi..."

-To Be Continued... 


	30. Chapter 30

Episode 30 - Mai ! Harpie vs. Neo-Ninja

Mai Valentine. 22 years old. Having recently come back to Domino City, Mai has settled down surprisingly in a small apartment there, and was having visitors; Joey, T?, and Tristan to be exact.

Joey was sitting down, legs crossed, just in a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans, T? sitting in a pink skirt that went to her ankles, a purple short sleeve t-shirt on, and Tristan had a long white shirt on with grey jeans as Mai sat in her usual attire, without her vest on. "Sorry I haven't had a chance to get you all over here, guys, I've still been getting adjusted to this apartment, and it's not that big really either... just fine for now."

"No worries, Mai, we're just glad to see you've been settling in here. We would have asked Taro or Melody but they couldn't come since they were looking after Yugi." T? replied, hands on her legs, closed softly.

"What's wrong with Yugi?" Mai replied, brushing some of the blonde hair from her face, exhaling.  
Joey looked down. "Well, he's at home, passed out... he had a Shadow Game, and was out of it for a while, or what T?'s told us."

Tristan nodded, arms crossed. "So, everything OK for you so far, Mai"  
"Yep, thanks for asking." Mai smiled, sipping her water. "It is nice you all could get a chance to visit. Lee and Vivian came by the other night, and Lee whipped up a nice dinner with Vivian's help. I still can't believe a girl like that and a guy like that can cook such a fabulous meal!" Suddenly, there was a kind of horn, as Joey, T?, Tristan, and Mai all looked at the same time, rushing out the door to see... of all things in front of the somewhat small apartment complex Mai lived in, a limosuine! Everyone blinked in surprise as then a big explosion occured, the group of four gasping out in surprise from the explosion.

Standing in the cloud of smoke was a black silhouette, and once the smoke cleared, there stood a man that had spikey dirty blonde hair in a black long-sleeved sweater, similar colored sunglasses on, as well as dark blue dress slacks and black dress shoes as he smiled, then took his sunglasses off, sliding the earpiece along his sweater's collar as he thrusted his index finger up to Mai.

"So I finally found you again, Mai Vallentine!" The man said, a smile on his face.  
Joey groaned, resting his chin on the railing near Mai's apartment building. "Oh, great... it's Jean-Claude Magnum... what the hell is he doing here in Japan again?" Seconds later, Joey lifted his head up and shouted. "HEY, WHAT THE HECK BRINGS A HACK LIKE YOU HERE!?! YOU TRYIN' TO PROPOSE TO MAI AGAIN, YA LUNATIC!?"

"Actually, no, you low-class brat. I want revenge for the humiliation I suffered at her hand! And since I am here due to filming a new movie, I might as well go for this"  
Everyone gasped, Mai blinking as she pointed at herself. "What? Me humiliate you?" She then smiled and spoke again. "Well, I guess I did, and I'm glad I did so! Sorry, but I'm not interested in Dueling you again."

Magnum chuckled. "I knew you wouldn't have hesitated to mention that. But I guess you HAVE turned into a coward if you don't want to Duel me again. I guess it was true... you didn't do as well as you could have at Battle City."

Hearing his words, Mai twitched. "What... did... you... say"  
"You heard me." Magnum smirked, snapping his fingers, eyes closed as the driver of his limosuine stepped out, holding out a suitcase, which Magnum grabbed, opened, and pulled out two things; a Duel Monsters Deck, and a Duel Disk, sliding the Duel Disk on and sliding his Deck into it. "You're nothing more than a coward."

Clenching her hands, Mai then said "Alright, that's it!! You just opened your big mouth one last time, Magnum!!" Mai grabbed her boots from by the door, sliding them on as she leapt off the railing, crying out, landing on her high-heeled boots, the trio all gasping as Joey rushed, grabbing Mai's Duel Disk as he smiled. "Hey, Mai, if you're gonna Duel, you are gonna need this!!"

Mai looked up, as her Duel Disk came down to her, pulling out her Deck from the Deck Holder around her leg, then snatched her Duel Disk in the air with her right hand, smiling at Joey. "Thank you, Joey!" Mai then slid her Duel Disk onto her own right arm, then locked her Deck into it, both her and Magnum stepping slowly to the side as Magnum smiled.

"It's a simple Duel. 4000 Life Points. But this tme, expect the outcome to be different, Mai"  
"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that." Mai smiled, winking, both her and Magnum drawing their first five cards, Joey smiling. "If this guy's Deck is like it was last time, I bet Mai is gonna have no problem beating him again!"

"Most Duelists wouldn't wanna run the same Deck over and over again, Joey." Tristan replied. "Let's be realistic in the fact that Duelists will add new stuff to their Decks to make them stronger. That's a basic of Duel Monsters!"

"Mmm-hmmm, even I knew that." T? replied.  
Joey scoffed and said "I knew that too, guys! If was the key word I had. Jeez, ya think you're all that now 'cause you know more about Duel Monsters. Yeesh... I miss the days of when it was just Yugi, Atem, and me who were the Duelists around here..."

Mai and Magnum both flicked their risk, their Duel Disks flicking into the ready position, both saying "Duel"  
Magnum smiled and said "I'll start things off. Draw." Magnum drew his sixth card, examining his hand, but twirling his drawn card, then slapped it onto his Duel Disk. "I play Nin-Ken Dog, summoned in Attack Mode!"

A white cloud poofed onto the Field and there stood a brown furred dogman, whom was in red ninja garbs, a blue scarf around his neck, a strap around his chest with a katana along the back, a similar sash around his wast, and black arm and wrist guards, with paws showing for his feet, and his arms crossed, a silver headband of a kind around its' forehead, a scroll in its' mouth.

NIN-KEN DOG Wind/Beast-Warrior/4/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"What the-!? A ninja dog!?" Mai blinked rapidly. "Has your Ninja Deck gone under a massive transformation since the last time I saw you?"

Magnum nodded. "Yes. I have added several new cards you will get to see today, Mai. Count on that. Turn end!"

"Well, at least this one isn't a small fry. My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her sixth card, looking over her cards, as she smiled, taking one card from her hand and slapped it onto her Monster Card Zone. "My summon is Amazoness Swordswoman in Attack Mode!"

A muscular woman appeared onto the Field, gripping a rather large sword in her left hand, her right hand resting near the blunt end of the blade. This woman had a headdress with orange spikes come out, the rest dark blue, much like her sword. She also had a similiar loincloth along her lower regions, as well as around her chest, some cleavage showing as well, with dark red hair rather unruley, gold bands around her wrists and her ankles, black covering her feet like shoes as she slashed the air.

AMAZONESS SWORDS WOMAN Earth/Warrior/4/1500 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: The opponent takes all Battle Damage to this card's controller that he/she takes from a battle involving this Monster.

'Hmmm...' Magnum began to think. 'Even if she has an ATK of 1500 points, Amazoness Swords Woman's effect will hurt me if Mai suicides her into my Nin-Ken Dog...'

"Mai's gonna try to suicide Amazoness Swordswoman, isn't she?" Joey thought.

T? nodded. "Yugi and Taro did mention her effect is the opponent takes any Battle Damage that her controller would receive with her invovled in battle. So, she could attack Nin-Ken Dog with Amazoness Swords Woman, but she'd be left open..."

"Yeah, true, but this is Mai we're talking about." Joey smiled. "We know two things. She's a good tactician, and is good at figuring out the best moves to make."

"Amazoness Swords Woman, attack Nin-Ken Dog!" Mai cried out, thrusting her hand forward. "Dream Sword!" Amazoness Swords Woman charged forward, her sword's blade scrapping across the ground, as she then slashed at Nin-Ken Dog, who pulled out his katana, blocking her attack, then knocked her sword away, impaling her in the stomach. Amazoness Swords Woman let out a death cry, then exploded, but her sword twirled down, slashing Magnum right down the middle, his Life Points dropped to 3700 points.

"When Amazoness Swordswoman is in battle, instead of me taking Battle Damage, she gives it all to my opponent. Even if I seem defenseless, I am in no way completely defenseless. I'll set a card face-down... and end my turn." Mai smiled, a Duel Monsters card appearing in front of her, her set card being Mirror Wall.

"My turn. Draw." Magnum drew his next card, looking at his hand. 'Hmmm... since Nin-Ken Dog isn't technically a Ninja, I can't make full use of his power, but at least looking ninja-like helps. But now it's time for me to move ahead... and call out a true Ninja. First things first.'

Taking a Trap Card, Ninjitsu - Art of Transformation from his hand, Magnum slid it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone and smiled. "First, I will set a card face-down to begin..."

NINJITSU - ART OF TRANSFORMATION Continuous Trap Card Effect: Activate this card by Sacrificing 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field that includes "Ninja" in its' card name. Special Summon 1 Beast-Type, Winged Beast-Type, or Insect-Type Monster with a Level equal to or less than the Level of the selected card + 3 from your hand or Deck to your side of the Field. When this card is removed from your side of the Field, destroy the Special Summoned Monster.

"And next I play the Magic Card, Ninjitsu - Art of Summoning!" Magnum held out a card, shwoing an image of Nin-Ken Dog slapping his hands down on the ground, and a big green frog, Des Frog, appearing underneath him with a cloud of smoke around him.

NINJITSU - ART OF SUMMONING Normal Magic Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 Monster on your side of the Field. Select 1 Monster from your hand or Deck that includes "Ninja" in its' card name and Special Summon it to your side of the Field. During this turn, you cannot activate any other Magic or Trap Cards.

"To use this card's effect, I need to Sacrifice a Monster, so I Sacrifice Nin-Ken Dog!" Magnum smiled, as Nin-Ken Dog backflipped into the air, exploding, Magnum pulling his Deck out, then pulling out 1 Monster Card as he smiled, slapping the card onto the Field.

"Now, for Nin-Ken Dog's Sacrifice, I Special Summon Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke in Attack Mode!" Smiled Magnum, as then landed onto the ground, another Ninja, this one holding two kunais, one in each hand, but both looked rather cybernetic, with beams of light instead of blades. Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke's body seemed to have quite a bit of metal all over. His mask, which had a red Japanese mark on the forehead, as well as a blue ponytail, elbow area, knee, and chest area were all in a silver kind of metal, the rest of his outfit in green, as well as a red sash flowing out as he slashed the air.

NINJA GRANDMASTER SASUKE Light/Warrior/4/1800 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: If this card attacks a face-up Defense Mode Monster, destroy the Monster with this card's effect without applying damage calculation.

"And I can still make a Normal Summon, but I won't! Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, attack!" Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke heard Magnum's command and darted off at high speed, leaping up, as Mai said "Trap Card, Mirror Wall, activate! While Mirror Wall is on the FIeld, the ATK of all Monsters on your side of the Field during your Battle Phase is halved! But during my Standby Phases, to keep it up on the Field, I need to pay 2000 Life Points! But now, with your Ninja's attack halved, you'll only do 900 points of damage to me!"

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke cried out, slashing Mai downward with his light kunais, Mai's Life Points rolling down from 4000 to 3100 as she groaned a bit. Magnum scoffed and said "Next, I'll set another card face-down. Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Drawing her card, Mai smiled and said "I won't pay to keep Mirror Wall on the Field, so it's gone!" A crackling sound occured, Mirror Wall exploding as Mai smiled and took a card, holding it up. "Magic Card, Graceful Charity, activate! Now I can draw three cards, as long as I discard two cards from my hand when I am done!"

Drawing three cards, Mai noticed she had drawn Shallow Grave, Roc from the Valley of Haze, and Harpie Lady 1. Looking at her hand, Mai began to think before discarding. She nodded, then took Harpie Lady 1 and Roc from the Valley of Haze, holding them up. "These are the two cards I am gonna discard to Graceful Charity's effect."

Sliding them into her Duel Disk's Graveyard, Mai smiled as then a flash of light occured, Mai pulled out Roc from the Valley of Haze and showed it to Magnum. "Since Roc from the Valley of Haze went from my hand directly to my Graveyard, and now I can add it to my Deck and shuffle my Deck." Roc from the Valley of Haze disappeared, as Mai's Deck began to glow, pulling her Deck out, shuffling it, then slapping it back into her Duel Disk. She then took Shallow Grave and played it. "Now I play the Magic Card, Shallow Grave!"

THE SHALLOW GRAVE Normal Magic Card Effect: Both players Special Summon 1 Monster from each of their respective Graveyards in Defense Mode.

"When this Magic Card is activated, we can both Special Summon a Monster from our Graveyards in Defense Mode, and I choose Harpie Lady 1"  
In a flash, Harpie Lady 1 appeared, kneeling down, her arms crossed over her chest, smiling.

Harpie Lady 1 - 1400 DEF

"And my only Monster is Nin-Ken Dog." Magnum replied, as his Graveyard slot shined, Nin-Ken Dog kneeling down beside Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke.

Nin-Ken Dog - 1000 DEF

"Thanks also to Harpie Lady 1's effect also increases the ATK of all WIND Attribute Monsters by 300 points. So my Harpie Lady 1 is at 1600 ATK, and your Nin-Ken Dog will be at 2100. But that doesn't mean much. I now play Harpie Lady 3 in Attack Mode."

In a flash, the same blue-haired Harpie Lady of the Harpie Lady Sisters combo appeared, this time without the armor, slashing the air as she landed down next to Harpie Lady 1, smiling.

HARPIE LADY 3 Wind/Bird/4/1300 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: This card's name is treated as "Harpie Lady". Your opponent's Monster that battles with this card cannot declare an attack for your opponent's next two turns.

"While Harpie Lady 3 is on the Field, any Monsters that battle her can't attack during your next two turns, but her ATK goes up by 300 points too thanks to my Special Summoned Harpie Lady 1. And to make her even stronger, I'll play the Equip Magic Card, Cyber Shield!"

In a flash, a black set of armor, much like Cyber Harpie Lady's purple armor clasped around Harpie Lady 3, her ATK going up from 1600 to 2100 points in a cinch.

CYBER SHIELD Equip Magic Card Effect: Increase the ATK of a "Harpie Lady" or "Harpie Lady Sisters" equipped with this card by 500 points.

"Harpie Lady 3, attack Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke!" Harpie Lady 3 leapt into the sky, flapping her wings, then dived right at Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke, Mai calling out her attack name. "Scratch Clash!"

Harpie Lady 3 came flying down at Sasuke, slashing him right down the middle, destroying him and dropping Magnum's LP by another 300 points to 3400 points. Magnum smiled and said "Impressive... but not that impressive if I'm still in the lead."

"Don't call it slacking off, 'cause I'm doing anything but!" Mai scoffed, taking Negate Attack from her hand, then set it. "I will next set a card face-down. Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw!" Magnum looked at his hand, seeing he had drawn Reinforcement of the Army. Holding it up, Magnum smiled. "Next up, I play the Magic Card, Reinforcement of the Army, letting me add 1 Warrior-Type Monster that's Level 4 or lower from my Deck to my hand."

Pulling his Deck out, then fanning the cards, Magnum began to look at his cards, smiling at his choices.

Joey rubbed his chin, eyes closed. "I wonder just what the heck Magnum's set cards are.... somethin' tells me they can't be good. But what is he gonna pull from his Deck...?"

Taking his card, Magnum held it out, smiling as he said "And I add Ninja Commander Ikusa to my hand from my Deck. Now to shuffle it." Magnum began to shuffle his Deck, then locked it into his Duel Disk's Deck holder, smiling as he said "Now I Normal Summon Ninja Commander Ikusa in Attack Mode!"

In a cloud of smoke, a green armored and black mesh-covered ninja with a samurai-esque helmet on appeared, in a similar stance to what Nin-Ken Dog's card art had as he grunted.

NINJA COMMANDER IKUSA Dark/Warrior/3/700 ATK/700 DEF Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned sucessfully, Special Summon 1 "Ninja Soldier Katana" from your hand or Deck.

"And now, I Special Summon Ninja Soldier Katana with Ninja Commander Ikusa's effect." A flash surrounding his Deck, suddenly, another Ninja appeared on the Field, arms crossed over his chest. This one was garbed in dark blue with a white mask covering his eyes, and a black mask over his mouth.

NINJA SOLDIER KATANA Earth/Warrior/2/400 ATK/400 DEF

"Now, to continue my turn. I play the Magic Card, Fuhma Shuriken, times two on both my Ninjas!" Magnum slid two of his cards into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, leaving only one card in his hand.

Suddenly, two large shurikens appeared, Ninja Commander Ikusa grabbing one of them, Ninja Soldier Katana grabbing the other, their Attack going up by 700 points each; Ikusa put to 1400, and Katana put at 1100.

FUHMA SHURIKEN Equip Magic Card Effect: This card can only be used to equip a Monster that includes "Ninja" in its' card name. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 700 points. When this card is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, inflict 700 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Hmmm... and now, to make things more interesting, I play the Magic Card, Coins from Heaven! Now we draw until we have 6 cards. I'll get 6 cards, you'll get 5."

Magnum drew his six cards, Mai drawing 5 cards, Magnum smiling as he held up his next card. "Now I play the Magic Card, Ninjitsu - Art of Rebirth. This number lets me Special Summon 1 Monster that includes Ninja in its' card name from my Graveyard, but it can't attack as long as it remains on the Field."

NINJITSU - ART OF REBIRTH Normal Magic Card Effect: Special Summon 1 Monster that includes "Ninja" in its' card name from your Graveyard. As long as the Special Summoned Monster remains face-up on the Field, it cannot attack.

In a flash, Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke appeared on the Field again. Magnum smiled, turning Nin-Ken Dog to Attack Mode and said "I will now turn Nin-Ken Dog to Attack Mode, but my combo is not done yet! Now I flip my Trap Card, Ninjitsu Art of Transformation! With this Trap Card, I can Sacrifice a Ninja Monster, and then select a Beast, Bird, or Insect-Type Monster from my hand or Deck that has a Level equal to the Sacrificed Monster's Level or less than its' Level, + 3. But if it leaves the Field, my Special Summoned Monster is destroyed."

Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke disappeared and then in its' place, Big Koala appeared, snorting, as it roared.

"This is my Special Summoned Monster! Big Koala!!" Magnum smiled. "Now, it's time to let loose! Nin-Ken Dog, attack Harpie Lady 3!" Magnum cried out, as Nin-Ken Dog pulled his katana out, charging at Harpie Lady 3, which would have destroyed them both, but Mai then said "Trap Card, activate! Negate Attack!!"

In an instant, Nin-Ken Dog stopped inches from Harpie Lady 3, who blinked in surprise, as Mai exhaled. "Now thanks to Negate Attack, your Battle Phase has ended. And you can't make another attack, even with your big bad army."

"Fine, but I will win, so count on it." Magnum smiled. "Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Mai then held out her drawn card and smiled. "Now I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw 2 cards." Mai drew two cards, and smiled. She had drawn Harpie Lady 2 and Harpie Lady - Houou Formation. She then said "I'll turn Harpie Lady 1 to Attack Mode now!" Suddenly, Harpie Lady 1's face-down card exploded as she landed down right next to Harpie Lady 3 as she then held out Harpie Lady 2 and said "Now I Normal Summon Harpie Lady 2 in Attack Mode!"

Harpie Lady 2 landed down right in the middle of Harpie Lady 1 and Harpie Lady 3 as Joey blinked. "OK... Mai's got Harpie Ladies 1, 2, and 3 on the Field. What the heck could she need her Harpie Lady trio for?"

"Maybe she drew something she needed to be able to beat Magnum." T? smiled.

"Yeah, you're right! I think I know exactly what her card could be!" Joey grinned as Mai then held up her next card. "Now I activate this badass Magic Card! Activate... Harpie Lady - Houou Formation!!"

Everyone gasped, as Harpie Lady 1, 2, and 3 began to glow with a blue flame, shaped like a phoenix.

HARPIE LADY - HOUOU FORMATION (English Name: Harpie Lady - Phoenix Formation)  
Normal Magic Card Effect: When this card is activated, destroy a number of your opponent's Monsters equal to the number of "Harpie Lady" on your side of the Field, then inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the total ATK of all Monsters destroyed by this card's effect. During the turn this card is activated, Monsters with "Harpie" in their card name cannot attack.

"Harpie Lady Houou Formation is pretty simple, Magnum. When it's activated, I can destroy all of your Monsters equal to the number of Harpie Lady Monsters I have on the FIeld, and then deal damage equal to their combined ATK, but then my Harpie Monsters can't attack. You have Nin-Ken Dog, Ikusa, Katana, and Big Koala, so I'll have my 3 Harpie Ladys take out Big Koala, Ikusa, and Katana!"

The 3 Harpie Ladies spiralled together then shot hard into Big Koala, destroying, then smashed Ikusa, and Katana, the trio of Harpie Ladies landing down in front of Mai who smiled. "And now you're going to take damage like this. 2700 plus 1400 plus 1100 equals 5500 points, Magnum, so you lose!"

Magnum cried out, dropping to his knees, groaning. "Dammit... I'm beaten"  
Joey whooped with joy, climbing up onto the railing, raising his arm up in the air. "Yeah, Mai, way to go! You rock! How do you like that, rich boy!?!" Suddenly, Joey slipped, but then Tristan grabbed him, T? doing the same, all three falling down, Joey groaning as Tristan and T? landed onto him.

Mai blinked and rushed towards her friends. "Guys! You alright"  
"I'm alright." T? replied, standing up, then rubbing her butt, Tristan slowly standing up. "Yeah, I'm cool too, Mai, but I think Joey is crushed flat."

Joey groaned, his eyes swirling, as he then sat up and said "DAMMIT GUYS WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO LAND ON ME"  
"Well, we did grab onto you to try to pull you up, you ignoramus, so don't complain! It was a total fluke!" Tristan snapped back, as both then grabbed onto one another, as Mai giggled, T? sighing.

Magnum simply stood up, dusting himself off as he just nodded.'I see... so that's why she's strong. I can tell now. It is simple and yet didn't see it." Magnum slowly turned slowly and smiled, walking off, heading into his limo. Mai blinked and said "Hey, wait a second!"

Magnum stopped and gazed at her. "Mai, you won. Isn't that what matters to you? The fact you won"  
"Nope. I just wanted to say... thanks." Mai smiled. "That was definitely interesting...."

Magnum looked to the side. "I still have a lot to learn. But... I am getting better with experience I guess. See ya." And with that, Magnum got into his limosuine, with it rolling off, everyone loioking on as it drove off.

Back at the Kame Game Shop, Yugi groaned a bit, slowly coming to, Taro and Melody out of the room, and with his eyes open, Yugi exhaled, then sat up, looking around, and yet he knew he was alright as he smiled softly... then felt Horus hop onto his shoulder, turning to see his new partner.

"Horus"  
"Hey, Yugi, you're finally awake! You were out for 2 days after that Shadow Game!" Horus replied, nuzzling against Yugi, Yugi smiling as he patted the side of Horus's face.

"Sorry if I worried you, partner. So, that really was a Shadow Game I was in vs. Ishtar. I thought it wasn't since it was different"  
Horus shook his head. "All kinds of Shadow Games exist. See, back in Egypt, when we were born into this world again after 15,000 years, then 10,000 years of sleep, we were used in some Shadow Games, where one would feel the pain of the attacks that we inflicted onto another. An ancient kind of Duel Monsters. Atem was a guy who played that, and so did the 6 priests whom he entrusted the other Millennium Items with; Seto, Akhenaden, Shada, Isis, Mahado, and Kalim. That's also how Pegasus J. Crawford drew inspiration for us! Those Shadow Games that occured, even if it was an ancient Duel Monsters."

"Yeah, that much I know too, Horus. I was told that."

"But even without the Millennium Items, Yugi, Shadow Games are still gonna exist, and if you're ever in one again, you got me to help you out! I am your partner after all!" Horus smiled. "And I ain't probably gonna be the only one you have."

"I know... Thanks, Horus." Yugi smiled as he just laid back, exhaling softly, looking up at the ceiling. 'Shadow Games... who would have thought that they would have returned.... and still be existant, even without the Millennium Items.'

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	31. Chapter 31

Episode 31 - The Dark Occult Deck and the Mysterious yet Familiar Enemy

Sitting in the Card Hunters' HQ, Ryo Bakura was done making out his Deck as he stood up, grabbing a black overcoat, sliding it on over himself, then grabbed a hat, sliding it on as Sarah smiled. "Well, it took you some time constructing that Deck you wanted to make. I am surprised you chose that Deck out of them all, Ryo."

"I don't know why I chose it either, Ms. Ashcroft, just that it called to me... and I know, but you had a lot of cards in your collection to select from. I needed to make some choices here and there... just remember your end of the deal is all I ask." Bakura replied, a sad look on his face.

"Of course, Ryo. Your father will be safe if you can beat Yugi Mutoh, your friend. If you lose though, you remain a Card Hunter until you beat Yugi if you can that is...." Sarah smiled. Bakura nodded sadly. "I'll keep my word... as long as you have my dad's life in your hands, it's not like I have a choice really...."

Yugi was sitting at his desk, humming a bit while he did his homework, Horus sitting on his head, invisible to him. He looked over to the empty desk of Bakura, frowning. 'Where is Bakura? No way would he be gone for so long... he simply said he was gonna be going with his dad somewhere but... where is he!?'

-At lunch, Yugi sat on the roof, setting some of his cards down into a row, exhaling as Joey, Tristan, T?, Melody, Taro, and Duke watched him, Duke speaking up first of all. "So, I take it, Yugi, that you got some suspicion about Bakura being missing for the last few weeks? You look deep in thought."

"I am, Duke. Something about Bakura being gone for so long stinks... and not in a good way. It's suspicious..." Yugi added, gathering up his cards, shuffling his Deck back together. Holding his Deck in his hand, Yugi looked at his friends and sighed, placing his Deck away. "I just hope Bakura's OK."

Suddenly, there was a clapping sound, everyone looking around, as Joey said "Uh, OK... who's the dude in the overcoat"  
"I don't know, but how he got up there without us noticing is a trip and a half, man!" Duke added, blinking.  
Tristan nodded. "Could this guy be a Card Hunter"  
"I think so, why else go all this way to come here to find us?" T? replied.

Leaping down, Bakura kept his face hidden via the rim of his hat the whole time, the overcoat over much of his body, showing a white t-shirt, and light blue jeans, as well as black and white sneakers, but on his right arm was a Duel Disk. He slowly lifted his left hand up and pointed to Yugi. "Yugi Mutoh! I'm your opponent from the Card Hunters... so prepare yourself!"

"So many of you... don't you guys know when to quit!?" Taro retorted.  
"If they did, they wouldn't be so persistent..." Melody replied. Slowly, Yugi stepped forward and said "I accept your challenge."

"Good. I knew you wouldn't turn down a challenge, 'your highness'." Bakura replied, keeping his face rather serious, even if his words seemed to be insulting. Yugi nodded softly, pulling his Deck out, then Taro reaching into Yugi's backpackc ried out. "YUGE!!"

Throwing his Duel Disk to him, Taro smiled, as Yugi caught it, sliding it on, then locking his Deck into the Duel Disk's Deck Holder, getting it into the open position, as Bakura did the same, both of them moving slowly to other sides of the roof, to make room. Once both had enough room, they drew 5 cards and both cried out the famed words. "DUEL!!"

Bakura exhaled, thinking to himself. 'After watching Yugi Duel when Atem was around, and seeing the Ceremonial Battle, I know some of his tactics, but that doesn't mean I can be cocky. I need to beat him though, for Dad's sake! If I don't win... I don't even want to think that!'

"I'll go first! Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Bakura looked over his hand and pulled out a Monster among them and said "I summon Giant Orc in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a large, grey skinned orc with green pants, that had brown sashes on the sides, its' feet showing, its' large torso muscular as well as slightly husky, as it held a bone-like club in its' hand, two tusk-like teeth showing from its' mouth, a large snort coming from its' nose.

GIANT ORC Dark/Demon/4/2200 ATK/0 DEF Effect: When this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase. This position cannot be changed until the end of your next turn.

"An ATK of 2200 for a Level 4!?" Melody gasped.  
"Hey, no worries, if that thing attacks, it's gonna change to Defense Mode, just like Goblin Attack Force." Joey smiled. "And with a DEF of 0, Yugi could use ANYTHING to plow right through it in a heartbeat."

"Turn end!" Bakura cried out, as Giant Orc stood tall in front of him.

Yugi looked at Giant Orc, speaking to himself. 'Something tells me that this guy is more familiar... I dunno why, but I got a feeling from this guy...' Soon enough, Yugi nodded. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Yugi saw he had one of his new cards. Smiling, Yugi slid the card into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "First up, I'll set a card face-down." In a flash, a Duel Monsters card appeared in front of Yugi, face-down, vertical in position. Yugi then took another card from his hand and said "Now I play Mystical Elf in Defense Mode."

Kneeling in front of Yugi, Mystical Elf held her hands together, as if she was in prayer, eyes closed, a soft smile on her face. Yugi, now with 4 cards in hand then said "Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw." Bakura drew his next card from his Deck, exhaling. "You think that even if I attack with Giant Orc, it's going to be helpless. I assure you, it won't be. I play Second Goblin in Attack Mode!" Appearing next to Giant Orc was a small pink skinned goblin, with a black eyepatch over its' right eye, a towel in its' left hand, a brown kind of belt around its' waist and lower body, a yellow t-shirt, and black pants as it cackled.

"That's... a Union Monster!" Yugi replied.

Bakura nodded. "Correct. Since it is still Main Phase 1, I will now turn Second Goblin into an Equip Magic Card, equipping him to Giant Orc. Second Goblin, unite with Giant Orc"  
Second Goblin cackled a bit, leaping right onto Giant Orc's shoulder, resting there, as Bakura took its' card, and slid it right into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, in the slot right underneath where he had summoned Giant Orc.

SECOND GOBLIN Dark/Demon-Union/1/100 ATK/100 DEF Effect: Once per turn, during your Main Phase, if you control this card on the Field, you can equip it to your "Giant Orc" as an Equip Magic Card, OR change it back to a Monster in face-up Attack Mode. When equipped to a Monster by this card's effect, you can change that Monster's Battle Position once per turn during your Main Phase. (1 Monster can only be Equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time. If the Monster that this card is equipped to is destroyed in battle, this card is destroyed instead.)

"Giant Orc, attack Mystical Elf!" At Bakura's call, Giant Orc roared, leaping right into mid-air, with Second Goblin hanging on, Giant Orc slamming its' bone club right onto Mystical Elf, destroying her in a heartbeat. Yugi cried out, then said "Trap Card, activate! Level Summon!!"

LEVEL SUMMON Normal Trap Card Effect: This card's effect is activated when a Monster on your side of the Field is sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster that includes "LV" in its' card name from your hand or Deck to the Field.

"Level Summon?" Bakura blinked.

Yugi nodded. "Level Summon can only activate when a Monster on my side of the Field is sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle. Now I get to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Monster that has LV in its' card name from my hand or Deck! I'm gonna go with Deck!" Pulling his Deck out, Yugi began to look at all of the Monsters he had to choose from and smiled, saying "Bingo!" as he pulled out his Monster of choice and showed it to Bakura. "My Special Summoned Monster is Silent Swordsman LV3 in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a small warrior appeared on Yugi's side of the Field. Silent Swordsman LV3 had a small body, but his most unusual appearance held a hidden power. A primarily white and blue jacket covered much of his body, white pants visible underneath the coat's long coat tails, as well as black boots with blue buckles of some kind near the toe region. Also, Silent Swordsman LV3 had black and blue shoulder armor, with clear white gloves covering his hands, and in his left hand was a long sword, with the hilt of the blade extending downward, the grip almost like a screw, with a spike at the end and 2 golden metal prods of a sort visible. The blade of the sword was curved, with one part protruding out, while the blade itself curved along the top.

Also, Silent Swordsman had a black helmet, with 2 kinds of blades protruding out, a blue eyehole covered like a mask, but not over his left eye. Instead, green hair covered his left eye, while his right was visible, with a kind of lightning bolt-esque scar under it, as well as the last visible item, a belt buckle, with a golden "S" adorned in the center.

SILENT SWORDSMAN LV3 Light/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: Negate the effects of your opponent's Magic Cards that designates this card as a target. During your Standby Phase, send this face-up card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Silent Swordsman LV5" from your hand or Deck. (You cannot activate this effect the turn this card is Normal Summoned, Special Summoned or flipped face-up.)

"Hmm... Silent Swordsman LV3, eh?" Bakura replied, as Giant Orc landed down in front of him, panting after its' attack. Joey grinned and said "Awright, Yugi! Now he can take that orc thing out with one blow next turn!"

"No, wait a minute!" Taro snapped his fingers. "That guy had Giant Orc equipped with its' Union Partner, Second Goblin! That means he can change its' Battle Position once per turn, making the fact Giant Orc is forced to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase pointless!"

"That's right. And now I'll turn Giant Orc to Attack Mode again." Bakura took Giant Orc's card and turned it from the vertical Defense Mode to the horizontal Attack Mode. Second Goblin began to fan off Giant Orc, and with its' body cooled off, Giant Orc roared, standing up again.

Joey gulped and said "Uh-oh..."

"Yeah, that can be a pain! And if I remember, Union Monsters also get destroyed in place of their Equipped partners if in battle, or in some cases, if they're just gonna get destroyed somehow." Taro replied.

"So, what can Yugi do?" Melody asked.

T? smiled. "Luckily, Silent Swordsman LV3 will Level Up at Yugi's next Standby Phase since it's coming up and he Special Summoned him during this guy's turn."

"Well, that's some good news at least." Tristan replied.

Duke nodded. "Still, will Silent Swordsman LV5 be enough to take on Giant Orc"  
"You'll see." T? smiled.

"Turn end." Bakura said, eyes closed under the hat.  
"My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his card, Silent Swordsman LV3 beginning to glow. "Now I send Silent Swordsman LV3 to the Graveyard and I Special Summon Silent Swordsman LV5 in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Yugi switched Silent Swordsman LV3's card with another card, Silent Swordsman LV5's. Silent Swordsman LV5 was taller than Silent Swordsman, with his sword now larger in size, and the blade more like a traditional sword almost, save for the blade curved slightly in the middle of the bladed end, and curved at the top. Silent Swordsman LV5 let out a cry as he slashed the air with his sword, gripping the handle with his left hand.

SILENT SWORDSMAN LV5 Light/Warrior/5/2300 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: This card is unaffected by your opponent's Magic Cards. If this card successfully attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, during your next Standby Phase, send this face-up card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Silent Swordsman LV7" from your hand or Deck.

"Now, I play the Magic Card, Double Attack!" Yugi added, showing it to Bakura. "Now I'll discard a Level 6 Monster from my hand to the Graveyard." Taking Summoned Skull from his hand, Yugi slid it into his Graveyard slot, and said "Since Silent Swordsman LV5 is a Level 5, with a Level 6 discarded thanks to Double Attack, and now Silent Swordsman LV5 can attack twice! But I am not worried, even with 3 cards in hand. Now I summon Silent Magician LV4 in Attack Mode!"

Silent Magician LV4 appeared right next to Silent Swordsman LV5, a smile on her face as she held a black handled staff with a curved top, with black and red as the colors, as well as a golden adornment, and a blue orb in the center. She had light blue hair, with a similar kind of gold and blue amulet on her black and red magician's cap, her robes the same colors, except for the white underneath covering the rest of her body, and black gloves and boots as she smiled.

SILENT MAGICIAN LV4 Light/Spellcaster/4/1000 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: Every time your opponent draws a card or cards, put 1 Magic Counter on this card (max. 5). Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points for each Magic Counter on it. When this card has 5 Magic Counters on it, during your Standby Phase, send this face-up card to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 "Silent Magician LV8" from your hand or Deck.

"Silent Swordsman LV5! Go! Attack Giant Orc!" Yugi cried out, as Silent Swordsman charged, slashing Giant Orc, but Giant Orc didn't explode, Second Goblin did, leaving it open for another attack, and dropping Bakura's LP from 4000 to 3900. "Silent Swordsman LV5, attack Giant Orc again! SILENT BREAKER!!"

Silent Swordsman LV5 quickly twisted, gripping his sword with both hands as he cried out, slashing Giant Orc right across the middle, destroying it, and dropping Bakura's Life Points down to 3800. Yugi then thrusted his clenched right hand forward. "Silent Magician LV4! It's your turn! Attack the opponent directly! Silent Spark!"

Silent Magician LV4 twirled her staff in her hand, leaping up and blasting Bakura at point blank, Bakura crying out, as he got shot backwards, his hat flying off as he gasped, slamming into the fence along the roof, groaning, panting heavily, his hair over his eyes, his Life Points now at 2800.

A could of smoke rose up from Yugi's attack as he smiled. "That was a strong blow, wasn't it? HUH!?!" Looking in shock, Yugi looked on as Bakura got up, wiping his lip, then closed his eyes, unsnapping his Duel Disk for a moment, tossing his overcoat off, then locked his Duel Disk back onto his arm.

"Bakura!!" Yugi gasped in shock.  
Everyone else was surprised too. "Somethin' about this smells like sulfur!" Taro replied. "Why would Bakura do this kinda thing? He's generally a nice guy"  
"Who cares!? He's one of the bad guys!" Joey replied. "That's what counts!"

"Hey, Bakura, what the heck is going on...?" Yugi blinked. "Why are you a Card Hunter?"

Bakura kept his eyes closed then opened them. "They have something precious to me. If I do not comply, Sarah will... no! I can't think that, Yugi! I'm sorry for as of now, our friendship is scuttled! I can't afford to lose! Do you end your turn or not?"

"Not yet. First, on a hunch, I'll set a card, and end my turn." Yugi replied, a card flashing behind Silent Swordsman LV5 and Silent Magician LV4.

"My turn! Draw!" Bakura drew his next card, an intense look in his eyes. "When you draw a card or cards, Silent Magician LV4 gains a Magic Counter, so her attack is increased by 500 points to 1500!" Yugi added, Silent Magician glowing, her ATK then going to 1500, just like he had said.

Everyone else look on at the battle, as Melody frowned. "Bakura..."

"Man, this is heavy... he's looking so different from the guy we know..." Taro replied. "This is really serious if he is a Card Hunter"  
Joey scoffed, crossing his arms, eyes closed. "So what!? Bakura betrayed us!"

"It's not like he's doing it on his own free will, Joey, so no need to get tempermental!" Tristan snapped.

Duke nodded. "Tristan's right for once! Bakura did say something precious to him was held by the Card Hunters, so don't act like that!"

Bakura looked at his hand and said "Magic Card, activate! Change of Heart! And since Silent Swordsman LV5 is unaffected by my Magic Cards, Silent Magician LV4 will be my target!" In a flash, Silent Magician LV4 was "yanked" from Yugi's side of the Field to Bakura's. Bakura smiled softly and said "Sorry, buddy, but I don't plan to use my favorite card that unscrupulously. I had a reason to take a Monster. Now I sacrifice Silent Magician LV4!" In a flash, Silent Magician LV4 cried out, disappearing as Bakura smiled, showing his next card. "And I play The Dark Ruler Hades in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Hades appeared, cackling with his glass of wine in his hand, a smirk on his face. "But that's not all. Now I play the Equip Magic Card, Dark Energy! This number powers up a Demon-Type Monster equipped by it by 300 points, both in Attack and Defense. It may be a small Magic Card, but sometimes, small works!"

DARK ENERGY Equip Magic Card Effect: A Demon-Type Monster equipped with this card increases its' ATK and DEF by 300 points.

Now Bakura had 3 cards in his hand from playing Change of Heart, Sacrificing Silent Magician LV4 for Hades, and now playing Dark Energy, but then he smiled, showing Yugi his next card. "Now I plat Pot of Greed, letting me up my hand size by drawing 2 cards!" Drawing two cards, Bakura looked at his newly drawn cards, taking another card from it. "Now I play the Magic Card, Spiritualism! This Magic Card returns 1 Magic Card or Trap Card of my opponent's on the Field to their hand AND it cannot be negated by other card effects... making it in some ways better than cards like Heavy Storm or Giant Trunade or Mystical Space Typhoon."

SPIRITUALISM Normal Magic Card Effect: Return 1 Magic or Trap Card on your opponent's side of the Field to his/her hand. This card's activation and effect cannot be negated by any other card.

Yugi cried out, as Spellbinding Circle returned to his hand, making his hand size 4 cards and now he couldn't stop Hades in his tracks. Bakura thrusted his hand forward. "Hades! Attack Silent Swordsman LV5!"

The Dark Ruler Hades' ATK - 2750 (300+ from Dark Energy)  
Silent Swordsman LV5's ATK - 2300

Hades sipped his wine, cackling as he spat it forward, into a blaze of fire which engulfed Silent Swordsman LV5. Silent Swordsman LV5 cried out in pain from the attack, and then exploded, Yugi's Life Points dropping from 4000 to 3550.

"Turn end." Bakura said, holding his 3 cards in hand. Yugi looked on and thought 'Smart moves on Bakura's part, but...' Looking at his hand, Yugi just had Spellbinding Circle, Sangan, Giant Rat, and Horn of Heaven. Not much he could do, but he then nodded, taking Horn of Heaven and Spellbinding Circle, setting them down. "First up, I'll set two cards face-down!"

In a flash, Spellbinding Circle and Horn of Heaven were set, Yugi exhaling. Everyone else looked on as Taro spoke up. "Man, Bakura is doing pretty well so far, even if his LP is 2800 points. With Hades on the Field, if any of his Demon-Type Monsters, if he has more, destroy any of Yugi's Monsters, they lose their effects."

"Yeah. And Bakura also gave Hades that small 300+ ATK and DEF increase too." Joey added, rubbing his chin. "But still..." Soon enough, Joey groaned. "Why does he gotta use creepy occult stuff!?"

"You gotta be kidding me, Joey, how can you be scared about the occult, man!? I thought you had friggin' nerves of steel!" Taro smirked.

Joey shot a glance at Taro and said "Well, excuse me if the occult scares me!"

Melody frowned. "But you guys, one thing that gets to me is what Bakura said... something precious to him... what could he have meant by that?"

"I don't know... but it sounded serious..." T? also frowned.

"Then I play Sangan in Defense Mode." Yugi added. Sangan appeared, kneeling down. Sangan looked like a kind of mutated Kuriboh, with three eyes with yellow irises and red slitted pupils, as well as elongated green arms and feet, arms crossed over its' chest, with three claws on the toes and four on the fingers sticking out as well as a teethy grin.

SANGAN Dark/Demon/3/1000 ATK/700 DEF Effect: When this card is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, move 1 Monster with an ATK of 1500 points or less from your Deck, show it to your opponent, then add it to your hand. Your Deck is then shuffled.

"That's the end of my turn." Yugi replied. "Bakura, what did you mean by something precious was taken from you? You never did explain that to me...."

"I'll tell you what, Yugi. If you win this Duel.... then I'll tell you what I can about what I meant earlier... I promise you that much. You are my friend after all... even if right now, we're enemies... my turn... DRAW!!!" Drawing his card, Bakura looked to see he had Altar for Tribute. With his Life Points at 2800 points, increasing his Life Points by the original ATK of one of his Monsters would help. "I will set one card face-down!"

Flashing behind Hades, Altar for Tribute appeared face-down, as Bakura then held up his next Monster Card. "And next I summon Opticlops"  
Appearing next to Hades, a red-brown skinned, very muscular cyclops appeared, slamming its' clenched fists against one another.

OPTICLOPS Dark/Demon/4/1800 ATK/1700 DEF

"I don't think so. Counter Trap Card activate! Horn of Heaven!" In response to Bakura's summon, Yugi's set card activated. A grand horn appeared, wings on its' sides, flapping as Yugi began to explain. "Horn of Heaven is a unique Counter Trap Card, because it can stop the Normal, Flip, or Special Summon of a Monster, but to make it even, I gotta Sacrifice a Monster myself. And so since all I have is Sangan, I sacrifice Sangan to use Horn of Heaven's effect!"

HORN OF HEAVEN Counter Trap Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 of your Monsters on the Field to negate the Normal Summon, Flip Summon, or Special Summon of a Monster and destroy it.

Disappearing in beads of light, like diamond-shaped stars almost, Sangan was gone, as Horn of Heaven blew out a mighty call, Opticlops screaming then exploding, Bakura crying out from the destruction of his Monster. Yugi then smiled and pulled his Deck out. "Now I get to use Sangan's effect, letting me add a Monster with an ATK of 1500 or less from my Deck to my hand."

Looking at his cards, Yugi saw one, and pulled it out. "My choice will be Watapon! When Watapon is added to my hand from my Deck by the effect of my Magic, Trap, or Effect Monster Cards, I can Special Summon it. So I'll Special Summon it in Defense Mode!"

Appearing on Yugi's side of the Field, Watapon smiled and let out a cute cry of "Watapon!", with its' card turned horizontally underneath it.

Watapon DEF - 300

"You think Watapon will protect you for long?" Bakura asked.  
Yugi nodded. "I do. Trust me, Watapon is enough."

"We'll see about that! Hades, attack Watapon!!" Bakura cried out, his Dark Ruler responding by charging right at Watapon. Yugi then tapped the Magic/Trap Card activation button on his Duel Disk and said "Trap Card, activate! Spellbinding Circle!"

In a flash, a mystical spell circle trapped Hades right in place, immobilzing him as well as Yugi explained the effect of his Continuous Trap Card. "When Spellbinding Circle is activated, I select one Monster on the Field, sealing it so to speak. The Monster can't attack, and can't change its' Battle Position normally. And when the Monster is destroyed, so is the Circle."

"Clever move, Yugi. Very clever. I will just end my turn." Bakura now had one card in his hand, and so did Yugi. "My turn. Draw!"

Drawing his next card, Yugi saw he had Coins from Heaven, but Bakura raised his arm up. "Altar for Tribute, activate!"

ALTAR FOR TRIBUTE Normal Trap Card Effect: Select 1 Monster on your side of the Field and send it to the Graveyard. Increase your Life Points by an amount equal to the original ATK of the Monster.

"Now I will send Hades to the Graveyard, and increase my Life Points by 2450 points, brining me to 5250! And it also makes your Spellbinding Circle invalid now." Bakura smiled, the beeping of his Duel Disk's Life Point Counter rolling up from 2800 to 5250 points.

"That means you're still open for attack. I play the Magic Card, Coins from Heaven! We both now draw til we have 6 cards in hand. You have 1, and so do I, so we both draw 5 new cards." Yugi and Bakura both nodded, each of them swiftly drawing 5 cards, Yugi looking at his cards as he took one and smiled. "I summon Blockman in Attack Mode!"

Appearing next to Watapon was a Monster that seemed to be made out of Lego building bricks. Blockman's upper body, head, lower body, and hands were made out of yellow brocks, his shoulders and feet out of red ones, wrists and lower arms blue, and arms and legs green, as well as his having red eyes, and a black torso.

BLOCKMAN Earth/Rock/4/1000 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: By Tributing this face-up card, Special Summon in Defense Position a number of "Block Tokens" (Rock-Type/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1000/DEF 1500) equal to the number of your turns this card has been face-up on your side of the field. These tokens cannot declare an attack.

"Blockman! Attack Bakura's Life Points directly!" Blockman charged forward, his feet off of the ground, Yugi calling out his attack. "Block Rush!"

Blockman soon seperated his body, linking them into a ball, smashing right into Bakura, dropping his Life Points from 5250 to 4250 in one blow. Yugi then took Negate Attack from his hand and said "I now set one card face-down. Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw!" Bakura drew his seventh card, looking at his hand, seeing how he could turn things around, since Yugi had a Monster in Attack Mode with an ATK of 1000 points, and one in Defense Mode with 300 DEF. He saw he had plenty of Monsters to use, but for now, he saw his new key card, one he had acquired from the Card Hunters; Invader of Darkness. He had a guess that Yugi might have had some Quickplay Magic Cards to use... and he could hurt him by sealing them, but he didn't have 2 Monsters to Sacrifice to call him out. But... he saw Dark Necrofear! He also had remembered the number of Demon-Type Monsters in his Graveyard; Hades, Opticlops, Giant Orc, and Second Goblin.

He smiled and said "First, I play Monster Reborn!" Bakura smiled, holding up Monster Reborn as it flashed. "Come back to the Field, Second Goblin! Special Summoned in Defense Mode"  
Second Goblin cackled as it knelt down on its' own card. Yugi began to wonder what Bakura had planned exactly.... until Bakura held out Dark Necrofear. "Next, I remove Giant Orc, Opticlops, and Hades from play in order to Special Summon this old friend... Dark Necrofear in Defense Mode!"

DARK NECROFEAR Dark/Demon/8/2200 ATK/2800 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only first be Special Summoned by removing 3 Demon-Type Monsters in your Graveyard from play. When this card is destroyed as a result of battle or by your opponent's card effect, it is treated as an Equip Magic Card at the end of the turn. Equip 1 of your opponent's Monsters with this card. As long as it is equipped with this card, you control the equipped Monster.

Appearing next to Second Goblin, kneeling down, was a blue skinned demon, with black around the collar of her neck, along her left arm, and down her stomach. Around her lower body was an orange orb, as well as two acting as breastplates, with dark purple boots and a dark purple glove, but the most demonic feature was her doll-like figure in her hand... as Joey shuddered. "Tuhrific... he called THAT damned thing again!"

"Yeah, but I think he's gonna use 'em as Sacrifices..." Taro replied. "Why else go to the trouble of calling them out... so I think he's got something stronger in his hand!"

Bakura looked over to the peanut gallery and smiled. "Your assumption is correct, Kentaro. I DO have a stronger Demon, perhaps one of the strongest of the two Sacrifice Demons in Duel Monsters. Now Yugi, get ready to face utter darkness! I Sacrifice both Second Goblin and Dark Necrofear....!!" In a flash of light around both, Dark Necrofear and Second Goblin disappeared as Bakura raised up his next card, his hand size now at 4 as he cried out. "INVADER OF DARKNESS IN ATTACK MODE!!!"

In a blast of darkness all over, a black cloak appeared, with a golden bladed kind of figure under it, as red eyes began to glow, as the figure crossed his arms over his chest, a black energy glowing around him.

INVADER OF DARKNESS Dark/Demon/8/2900 ATK/2500 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on your side of the Field, your opponent cannot activate Quickplay Magic Cards.

"Heh. How do you like him? My new big demon?" Bakura smiled. "Well, he will be more than enough to hurt you! I now play the Magic Card, Spiritualism again! The second copy in my Deck has come to my hand and I return your set Magic or Trap Card to your hand!"

Swirling around it, Negate Attack appeared back into Yugi's hand, his hand 5 again then Bakura thrusted his hand forward. "Invader of Darkness, attack Blockman"  
Invader of Darkness roared, its' hands glowing, pulling them back, then thrusted them forward. "DARKNESS BURST!!"

A blast of light shot from Invader of Darkness' hands, slicing Blockman in half, Yugi crying out, his LP dropping to 1650, Yugi panting as Bakura smiled. "I will now set a card face-down! Turn end!"

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi looked to see he got Mystical Space Typhoon. Holding it outward, Yugi cried out. "I play the Magic Card, Mystical Space Typhoon! Now you can " Suddenly, Bakura smiled, Invader of Darkness began to glow, as Yugi gritted his teeth, his Mystical Space Typhoon glowing also.

"What the heck?!" Yugi blinked. "How come it didn't work"  
"Invader of Darkness' effect. While he's face-up, Quickplay Magic Cards by you can't be played, and thus, you have many of your cards sealed to you now! And with an ATK of 2900, there is not much in your arsenal that can probably Normal Summon to best it!"

Yugi looked in surprise, Rumiko looking on from the door's window, frowning, feeling... a tad disgusted from all the Card Hunters have done all together, even if she might be able to do ANYTHING at all to change her fate.. but what awaits Yugi as he had to still beat Bakura, as well as face up against Invader of Darkness....

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	32. Chapter 32

Episode 32 - Bakura's Sadness, and His New Friend

Yugi right now had 5 cards in his hand, and just Watapon in Defense Mode. Bakura smiled, having 2 cards in hand, a set card, and Invader of Darkness in Attack Mode. Yugi nodded, taking a card and said "I'll summon Giant Rat in Defense Mode." Yugi replied, as Giant Rat appeared right next to Watapon, kneeling down on his horizontal-turned card, holding his skull in both paws, as Yugi exhaled. "Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Bakura drew his 3rd card and then pointed down to his set card. "Trap Card, activate. Jar of Greed"  
Appearing on Bakura's sides of the Field was a red and gold adorned jar, with a grinning face, much like that of Pot of Greed, but different.

JAR OF GREED Normal Trap Card Effect: Draw 1 card from your Deck.

Drawing a card, Bakura smiled. "Jar of Greed is a simple Normal Trap Card, but it lets me draw 1 card and now... I have 4 cards. But I know it won't matter against someone of your calibur and skill, Yugi. I'll have to end this quickly."

Rumiko frowned still, opening the door, and stepping out, as everyone turned. "Rumiko?!" Taro, Joey, Tristan, T?, Melody, and Duke all said as one, Rumiko looking at them, a sadness showing in her eyes, everyone surprised by this.

Bakura blinked at seeing this and said "Rumiko-chan... what are you doing...?"

"Ryo... I..." Rumiko bit her lower lip softly. "Why do this"  
"You know what Sarah will do if I don't comply!! I have no choices but to do what I was asked to do!!" Bakura said, tears down his cheeks. "My turn is not done yet! I won't let my father be killed!! I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE!! I now summon Skull Knight #2 in Attack Mode!"

SKULL KNIGHT #2 Dark/Demon/3/1000 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: If you Sacrifice Summon a Demon-Type Monster by Sacrificing this card, Special Summon 1 "Skull Knight #2" from your Deck in face-up Attack or Defense Mode. Your Deck is then shuffled.

Appearing next to Invader of Darkness was a knght with a skeleton-like face, horns on its' helmet, a silver and blood-red metal sword in its' hands, as well as a black cape, with 3 claws coming out of its' shoulder armor, as also, Skull Knight #2's armor had golden markings along it.

"Skull Knight #2, attack Watapon!!" Bakura cried out. Skull Knight #2 gripped his sword, leaping into the air, splitting Watapon right in half, destroying it, Yugi crying out, Watapon exploding, Yugi gritting his teeth. "Invader of Darkness! Continue my Battle Phase! Attack Giant Rat!"

Invader of Darkness leapt into the air, black energy crackling around its' palms, hurtling the burst of light downward, blowing up Giant Rat, as Yugi cried out again. "Thanks to Giant Rat being destroyed as a result of Battle, I will now Special Summon 1 Earth Attribute Monster with an ATK of 1500 points or less from my Deck to my side of the Field!"

Pulling his Deck out, Yugi looked at his cards, smiling as he took out Gamma the Magnet Warrior, and thrusted him out to Bakura. "I will Special Summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in Attack Mode, as per Giant Rat's effect!"

Appearing in front of Yugi, Gamma the Magnet Warrior punched the air, floating down to the ground. "Makes no difference to me... I will still win, Yugi. I can't afford to lose. I set a card face-down!" In a flash, another Duel Monsters card appeared behind Invader of Darkness and Skull Knight #2. "Turn end!!"

"My turn... Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking at it, seeing he had Level Up! and Call of the Haunted. But he wondered what Bakura was holding. He had to be careful, but he also wondered what Bakura had meant when he had mentioned his father... and just what the person, Sarah, had done.

Rumiko looked on, sadness in her eyes, her hands clasped together, as Taro looked at her. "Rumiko, you know a lot more than you're letting on, huh? What's Bakura talkin' about when he's mentioned his dad? We need to know some answers"  
"It... it was our leader, Sarah... she saw how strong your friendship with everyone was, especially for Yugi, and so... she... she..." Rumiko clenched her hands more tightly, Joey gripping her shoulder. "On with it already!"

"Joey, take it easy!" Trista replied, grabbing his wrist. T? nodded. "Being hard won't help. Rumiko, what did she do?"

"She got desperate with big brother and others, feeling no one could beat Yugi, so she took Ryo's father, and told him that she'd kill him if he didn't comply with her demands. I was starting to see how bad this was getting after big brother Dueled Yugi a few days ago... and I became Ryo's friend. Seeing him like this, it breaks my heart..." Rumiko frowned.

Duke frowned also. "That's just horrible...!! Taking Bakura's dad to use him as bait to fight Yugi"  
"Yeah, I'll say!" Taro clenched his hands. "So, Bakura..."

"I'll set 2 cards face-down, and then I turn Gamma the Magnet Warrior to Defense Mode..." Gamma knelt down, arms over his chest set a Monster face-down. Turn end." Yugi replied, as 2 horizantal Duel Monsters cards flashed in front of him, one vertically turned card in front of those. "Your turn, Bakura."

"Draw!" Bakura drew his next card, and then remembered what Rumiko said. 'Seeing him like this, it breaks my heart...' He gasped a bit, remembering when he and Rumiko were talking sometime after Yugi had his second Duel with Senbei.

Bakura sat deep in thought, looking over all the cards he had asked for when forced into being a Card Hunter, exhaling as he set a card down, hearing a knock on his door. "It's open..." He said, sadly. Rumiko slowly opened the door, holding a tray in her hand, a smile on her face gently.

"Hey, Ryo! I thought I'd bring you a snack"  
Bakura scoffed, looking away. "Coming to gloat?"

"Nope, I just wanted to make sure you weren't starving yourself while working in here all by yourself." Rumiko replied, setting down a sandwich with some water along with it and some vegetables. "I'm not much of a cook so I just made a sandwich and such."

Looking at her surprisingly, Bakura took the water, sipping it. "Thank you, Rumiko"  
"You're welcome, Ryo." Rumiko replied, frowning, resting her chin on her knee. "So... do you hate this?"

"...Yes. I do hate this. I hate the idea of having to lie to my friends, of having to turn my back on them and because of my father, and my own weakness..."

"You aren't weak, Ryo... you're still lucky you have parents who are alive. Senbei and me, we have no one. Our folks died a long time ago... we just do what we do with the Card Hunters to survive. It kinda bugs us, especially when big brother Dueled Yugi the other day. He was shocked when Yugi called him a True Duelist, even with all he'd done... it was the first time he felt happy in a long time, since our parents were alive."

"Rumiko..." Bakura blinked, but smiled. "Thank you again..."

Rumiko blushed at what Bakura said and smiled. "You're welcome!" After some time, the two of them had been talking with one another, telling each other their hopes and dreams, prayers for the future and such. And she saw she had a friend out of Ryo soon enough. But now... it was as if given his reminder of his father, Ryo had become a different person... one not like the one Rumiko had become friends with.

"My turn! Draw!" Bakura drew his next card and saw it was just what the situation called for! "I now play the Magic Card, Painful Choice, Yugi! I'll bring out five cards from my Deck, you then select one and I add that one to my hand. Any others go to my Graveyard. Here I go!" In a flash, five cards all lined up in front of Bakura, showing themselves to Yugi. The five were The Earl of Demise, Air Eater, Twin-Headed Wolf, Terra the Terrible, and Dark King of the Abyss.

PAINFUL CHOICE Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 5 cards from your Deck and show them to your opponent. Your opponent must select 1 card that will be added to your hand. Discard the remaining cards to the Graveyard.

Yugi knew he was in a tight spot. He looked at all of Bakura's cards, then exhaled. "I select Twin-Headed Wolf." Bakura grabbed Twin-Headed Wolf, adding it to his hand, but his other 4 Demon-Type Monsters being sent to the Graveyard, Bakura sliding them into his Graveyard slot, then he smiled. "Yugi, you are in for a surprise. I now Sacrifice Skull Knight #2! I Sacrifice Summon Puppet Master! In Defense Mode!"

Appearing in Skull Knight #2's place was a demon in the attire of a jester, colored dark blue and yellow, strings coming from its' fingers, its' eyes glowing red softly as it cackled.

PUPPET MASTER Dark/Demon/6/0 ATK/0 DEF Effect: When this card is successfully Sacrifice Summoned, you can pay 2000 Life Points to Special Summon 2 Demon-Type Monsters from your Graveyard to the Field. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack this turn.

"An ATK and DEF of Zero!?!" Joey blinked. "What is that thing gonna do if it's a Level 6 with zero-zero stats"  
"Don't knock a Monster just 'cause of its' stats, it just means something bad could happen..." Melody replied.  
"Mel's right!" Taro smiled. "I remember Puppet Master being good for Demon Decks because of its' effect."

Rumiko nodded. "You're right, Taro... Puppet Master. When Sacrifice Summoned, you can pay 2000 Life Points and Special Summon 2 Demon-Type Monsters from your Graveyard to the Field. Ryo must have wanted to drop a few into the Graveyard when he played Painful Choice, so he could have more options with Puppet Master..."

"Puppet Master! I invoke your effect! I will pay 2000 Life Points and make 2 Special Summons!" Bakura's Duel Disk began to beep, rolling down from 5250 to 3250 as he raised his clenched fist up into the air. "SPECIAL SUMMON DARK NECROFEAR AND AIR EATER IN ATTACK MODE!!"

In a flash, Dark Necrofear appeared again, and with her was a green skinned demon with 4 arms, each with 4 yellow fingers, a long tail-like lower half, a Geiger-like head with no mouth visible, glowing red eyes, as well as small wings with a bat-like feel.

AIR EATER Wind/Demon/6/2100 ATK/1600 DEF

"Even if I can't attack with these Demons now, I still have one more spot in my Monster Card Zone to use. And thanks to my Sacrifice Summoning a Demon-Type Monster by Sacrificing Skull Knight #2, I now can Special Summon another one from my Deck!" A light being to glow around Bakura's mouth, and out came another Skull Knight #2, Bakura's whole Field of Monsters full.

Invader of Darkness - 2900 ATK Dark Necrofear - 2200 ATK Air Eater - 2100 ATK Skull Knight #2 - 1000 ATK Puppet Master - 0 DEF

"And now... Invader of Darkness! Attack Yugi's set Monster!" Invader of Darkness roared, shooting a blast of black light from its' mouth, splitting up Yugi's set Monster, Big Shield Gardna, destroying it in one blow! Yugi cried out, as Bakura said "Next, I will set one more card face-down. Turn end."

"My turn.. Draw!" Yugi cried out, drawing his fourth card, looking at his hand as he said "I play Pot of Greed! Draw 2 cards!" Drawing 2 cards, Yugi saw he had drawn Meteorain and Mirror Force. He also remembered having Level Up in his hand and began to make his move. "First things first, Trap Card, Call of the Haunted! Come back to the Field, Silent Swordsman LV5!"

Purple mist rose out of the ground, with Silent Swordsman LV5 appearing again, gripping his sword tightly in both hands. "Now that Silent Swordsman LV5 is back, Bakura, let me introduce you to the next Level! Magic Card, activate! Level Up! I send Silent Swordsman LV5 to the Graveyard again!" In a flash, Silent Swordsman LV5 disappared as well as Call of the Haunted's effect, and Yugi pulled his Deck out, holding out his next card and smiled. "And I Special Summon Silent Swordsman LV7 in Attack Mode!"

Silent Swordsman LV7 then appeared in place of Silent Swordsman LV5, and his sword was much longer and bigger than Silent Swordsman LV5's, as well as his shoulder armor being more rounded than square-like, which was how Silent Swordsman LV5's was. Silent Swordsman LV7's body began to glow, representing his effect, as Bakura blinked. "What the-!?"

"I didn't have a chance to explain it yet, so I will. While Silent Swordsman LV7 is on the Field, he will negate the effects of all Magic Cards, so in other words, we've got not Magic Cards to use while he is in play. And with his ATK of 2800 points, it means the only strongest Monster on your side of the Field that can take it is Invader of Darkness." Yugi smiled, exhaling.

'But that doesn't mean it won't suck when he does destroy it somehow... so far, he has Air Eater, Dark Necrofear, and Skull Knight #2 in Attack Mode, with 3250 Life Points left. And he has Invader as his big gun with 2900, and Puppet Master is in Defense Mode, so what good does that do me?' Yugi thought to himself. 'OK! I'll take out Air Eater since then I won't have to worry about effects. Since if I take out Dark Necrofear, Bakura can use her effect AND take control of Silent Swordsman LV7. And Skull Knight 2 is the weakest, but Bakura's card makes me weary a bit. What if I attack him and it turns out Bakura has some Trap Card set? He wouldn't worry about losing 700 Life Points, so I'll go for it!"

"Silent Swordsman LV7, attack Air Eater!" Yugi cried out. Silent Swordsman slammed the blade of his very large buster sword and then dashed forward, feet gliding off the ground, pulling his sword back, Yugi calling out his attack. "Silent Buster!!" In a quick flash, Silent Swordsman LV7 slashed past Air Eater, destroying it as Bakura cried out, his Life Points dropping to 2550, Bakura gritted his teeth, Yugi exhaling as he took Mirror Force and Meteorain, sliding them into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Bakura drew and said "Trap Card, activate. Jar of Greed." Drawing another card, Bakura looked over at Yugi, having four cards in his hand as he then tapped another button on his Duel Disk, pointing down to his next card. "Now, Yugi I activate my Trap Card, Dead Spirit Zoma, and with its' effect..." Bakura's set card slid out of his Magic/Trap Card Zone, taking it and slapped it onto his Monster Card Zone. "I will now play it in Defense Mode via its' effect!"

DEAD SPIRIT - ZOMA Continuous Trap Card Effect: After activation, this card becomes a Monster Card (Dark/Zombie-Type/Level 4/1800 ATK/500 DEF) and is Summoned to your Monster Card Zone in face-up Defense Mode. When this card is destroyed as a result of Battle, inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the ATK of the opponent's Monster that destroyed this card. (This card is still treated as a Trap Card.)

Appearing inbetween Dark Necrofear and Puppet Master was a black dragon of some kind, which had gangly arms and a long neck, baring greyish white teeth, a few spikes from the back of its' head and down the back of its' neck and along its' back, near the spinal column area. It also had 2 beady red eyes, and short black wings with 3 blades of a kind jutting out, its' claws crossed over its' chest.

"There. Now I have a good wall. You should know, Yugi... if you attack Zoma, he'll destroy your Life Points. When he is destroyed in battle, he deals damage to my opponent, equal to the ATK of that Monster that destroyed him. So do you want to take that chance?"

"No. But I know it won't be too easy." Yugi replied.

"Good. Now... I turn Invader of Darkness to Defense Mode..." Bakura said, shifting Invader of Darkness' card on his Duel Disk, Invader of Darkness on his side of the Field kneeling down, arms crossing over his chest. "Now! Dark Necrofear! Attack Gamma the Magnet Warrior!" Yugi knew he had to take his chance with Dark Necrofear's effect activating since he wanted to at least hurt Bakura a bit. "Trap Card activate! Mirror Force!" In a flash, the reflective barrier of Mirror Force appeared in front of Yugi, blocking Dark Necrofear's attack, spiralling it, then hurtling it backward, smashing Dark Necrofear and Skull Knight #2, destroying them in a heartbeat, still leaving Invader of Darkness, Puppet Master, and Zoma.

But Dark Necrofear's doll remained on the Field, as Bakura said "Now I activate Dark Necrofear's effect, taking control of Silent Swordsman LV7!" The demonic energy wrapped slowly around Silent Swordsman LV7 as he cried out, floating over from Yugi's side of the Field to Bakura's, a black and purple energy wrapping around him as his eyes began to glow red.

"Next, I play the Magic Card, Demonic Surge."

DEMONIC SURGE Normal Magic Card Effect: This card's activation and effect cannot be negated. Sacrifice 1 Monster on your side of the Field. Increase your Life Points by the Level of the Sacrificed Monster x 300 points. During this turn, you cannot perform any Normal Summons, Flip Summons, or Special Summons.

"This Magic Card, like Spiritualism, cannot be negated, and so I will Sacrifice 1 Monster on the Field, and I choose Silent Swordsman LV7. With this, I will gain 300 Life Points times the Level of the Sacrificed Monster. Seven is what Silent Swordsman LV7's Level is, so I will gain 2100 Life Points."

Bakura's body began to glow, his Duel Disk's Life Point counter rolling up from 2550 to 4650. "Next I will set a card down since I cannot make any more summons thanks to Demonic Surge. Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw~!!" Yugi drew his next card, and saw he had Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! He also still had Gamma the Magnet Warrior on the Field and grinned as he said "I Sacrifice Gamma the Magnet Warrior..." Gamma flashed and disappeared, Yugi holding up his next card. "And I summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch in Attack Mode!"

In a blast of thunder, Zaborg appeared, roaring as he punched the air, Yugi smiling. "Now, since I Sacrifice Summoned Zaborg, I can use his effect to destroy 1 Monster on the Field. My card of choice... is your worst threat, Zoma! Zaborg, Death Thunder!!"

Zaborg slammed his palm on the ground, a bolt of thunder surging across the ground, shorting around Zoma, destroying it with one blow! "Now, I play Meteorain. With its' effect, my Monsters get Piercing Battle Damage. Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, attack Puppet Master! Roaring Thunder!!"

Leaping high into the air, Zaborg pulled his hands back, forming a ball of thunder in his palms then shooting it right at Puppet Master, destroying it in one blow, the sparks of his attack blasting Bakura as he cried out, his Life Points dropping to 2450, as he pantd, Yugi exhaling. "I will then set one last card face-down. Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Bakura drew his next card, and then took one Monster from his hand, holding it to Yugi. "I now play Winged Minion in Attack Mode!"

Cackling as it appeared, a blue skinned demon with a mouth similar to a leech, small eyes, 2 horns on its' head, whitish wings, a tail, with a red sash around its' lower body with shorts covering part of it and claws and nails landed next to Invader of Darkness as Bakura thrusted his hand forward. "Now I will invoke Winged Minion's effect! When I sacrifice this card while it's on the Field, I can increase the ATK and DEF of 1 Demon-Type Monster on the Field by 700 points as long as it is on the Field. And I choose Invader of Darkness since it is my only card left!"

WINGED MINION Dark/Demon/2/700 ATK/700 DEF Effect: Sacrifice this face-up card. Select 1 face-up Demon-Type Monster on the Field. Increase the ATK and DEF of the selected Monster by 700 points as long as it remains face-up on the Field.

In a flash, Winged Minion disappeared, a glowing bright light wrapped around Invader of Darkness, raising its' stats up from 2900/2400 to 3600/3100!! Yugi and everyone else gasped, Rumiko still having a sad look on her face, Bakura smiling as he said "Now you can see how powerful my new Occult Deck is! I will now shift Invader of Darkness to Attack Mode again!!"

Invader of Darkness soon stood up from his knelt position, both arms flexed as he chuckled darkly. "And now, Yugi, with your Life Points at 1650, I'll drop your Life Points to 450 in this next attack, and you won't then have a miracle to win. Now! Invader of Darkness, attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!! Darkness Burst!!"

Invader of Darkness thrusted its' arms backwards, then slashed the air, a much larger blast of energy than before, blasting Zaborg the Thunder Monarch as Yugi cried out, his LP dropping to 450, due to the 1200 ATK difference between Zaborg and the newly charged Invader of Darkness, Yugi still panting from the attack, as Bakura smiled. "Turn end!"

"M-my turn... DRAW!" Yugi drew his next card, seeing he had now gotten Kishido Spirit, also having Pump Up. His set card was a bluff mainly... it was Magic Shard Excavation. And now, with a second card to discard, he could use it, and add back a Magic Card to his hand. Bakura has 2 cards left, and Yugi knew this was his chance, even if he was in a pinch! "Activate my set card, Magic Shard Excavation!"

MAGIC SHARD EXCAVATION (English Name: Magical Stone Excavation)  
Normal Magic Card Effect: Send 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard. Select 1 Magic Card from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.

Holding up Kishido Spirit and Pump Up, Yugi explained. "I send Kishido Spirit and Pump Up to the Graveyard and then add one Magic Card that is in my Graveyard to my hand!" In a flash, Kishido Spirit and Pump Up disappeared, Yugi smiling as Coins from Heaven came back to his hand. "And now I play the Magic Card I added back to my hand! Coins from Heaven! With just no cards in my hand now, I get the full six card draw, and you get four new cards!"

Yugi drew his six cards, then smiled at Bakura, who finished drawing his four cards. "Bakura, I want you to know something, man? I'm gonna help you save your dad! That I can promise! You're my friend, no matter what... and I believe in you."

"Yugi..." Bakura blinked, everyone else looking on in awe as Yugi exhaled and said "This is the last turn! First up... Magic Card, Graceful Charity! Now I draw three more cards, then discard two cards!" Drawing three more cards, Yugi had drawn Sinister Serpent, Dark Magician, and Magic Formula. Taking Dark Magician and Sinister Serpent, Yugi showed them to Bakura and said "Here are my discards!" Sliding them into his Graveyard slot, Yugi smiled, then took a card from his hand and thrusted it forward.

"Now I activate another Magic Card! Dark Hole!!" Yugi cried out. The earth rumbled as a giant black hole appeared under Invader of Darkness, sucking it in as Bakura cried out from the large explosion that occured.

"I.. I'm sorry I gotta do this, Bakura! But I promise I'll save your dad with you! Next up, Monster Reborn!" Yugi cried out, as in a flash, Dark Magician appeared again, griping his staff in his hand, Yugi shaking a bit, grabbing Magic Formula as he raised it up. "Now! Equip Magic Card, Magic Formula!"

MAGIC FORMULA Equip Magic Card Effect: This card can only be Equipped to a face-up "Dark Magician" or "Dark Magician Girl". Increase the ATK of the equipped Monster by 700 points. When this card is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, increase your Life Points by 1000 points.

"This Magic Card can only be equipped to Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl, increasing their ATK by 700 points! So Dark Magician's ATK is increased to 3200 points! And now... and now... and now... I attack! Dark Magician, attack Bakura's Life Points directly! Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician leapt high into the air, pulling his staff back, a sparkling burst of green energy at the end of it, as Bakura remembered Yugi's words, but smiled softly as Dark Magician's attack shot down at him, blasting him hard. He cried out from the fierce blow of Dark Magician's attack, getting blasted backwards harshly into the fence of the school.

Rumiko gasped, rushing forward as fast as she could, hearing the breaking of the fence, as Bakura cried out more when the fence broke from behind him. Rumiko still ran as fast as she could, leaping out to Bakura, reaching her hand to his. "Ryo-kun!!!"

"Ru-rumiko-chan!!" Bakura cried out, reaching for her hand, grabbing it, holding on as tight as he could, Rumiko hanging on also, grabbing on with her other hand. Yugi ran over to, grabbing Rumiko, pulling on her, T? and Taro after him, with Joey, Tristan, Melody, and Duke following them also.

Yugi and his friends, along with Rumiko, pulled as hard as they could, and with their combined strength, they all as one cried out, falling backwards, managing to get Bakura up onto the roof, Bakura blushing as his head was between Rumiko's breasts accidently, his face beet red, Rumiko blushing also but smiling as she hugged Bakura. "Oh, Ryo-kun, you scared me! I'm so glad you're OK!"

Bakura nodded, lifting his face up, then lowering it as his friends looked at him. "Guys... I'm so sorry for this... all of this..."

"Don't talk like that, Bakura!" Yugi replied, and smiled. "I promise you I am gonna help you save your dad! You can count on that!"

T? nodded and smiled. "Don't forget about us! We're all in to help our friend too!"

"Ya know it, Bakura! That Sarah woman has got a real mean streak to wanna use your dad to force you into doin' her dirty work!" Taro added. "So kicking her ass will be a pleasure"  
Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Melody all nodded in response, Bakura smiling softly, but nodding.

Rumiko stood up, helping Bakura up to his feet, holding his left hand as she looked at Yugi's friends and smiled.

"You all... you all are a very good group of people if you ask me... wanting to help your friends, even after this kind of a thing. That just goes to show you the kindness of one of you allows all of you to help him. Yugi... that is what I meant. Your heart is very big ... like when you told my brother he was a True Duelist. No one had said that about him for quite a long time. And that means a lot. Now... we'll be taking our leave."

Bakura nodded, holding Rumiko's hand. "Thanks again, guys... and don't worry about me... you know I will be fine."

"Yeah. We do." Yugi smiled, as Rumiko and Bakura began to head off, to face whatever awaited them... no matter how bad.  
However, back at the Card Hunters HQ, Sarah observed the Duel from a hidden spycam near her bed and scoffed.

"That damned brat, Mutoh.... he thinks he can save Bakura's father?! Foolishness"  
Bandit Keith looked at her, smiling as he said "You never know how damned determined that kid will be, babe... so he won't give up easily, even if he did lose to one of us. And I already told you, it's taken care of. The guy I wanted is on his way."

"Good. Good." Sarah smiled, rubbing her hands. "You are sure about him, Keith dear? That he can beat Yugi?"

"You kiddin'?!" Keith smirked, arms around Sarah's waist. "This guy's family has a record for not being defeated." And with that said, a kiss was exchanged between Keith and Sarah, their lips resting against one another. Whatever was planned... it would mean perhaps another challenge waiting for Yugi... as well as for his friends.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	33. Chapter 33

Episode 33 - The Fearsome! The Dangerous! The Cybernetic Deck!

Walking down the concrete road was a young man who had on a pair of sunglasses, a long black duster, a black shirt under it, grey pants, black shoes, his black hair slicked back, a bored expression on his face, black fingerless gloves gripping onto what seemed to be a suitcase of some kind. He continued down the street, heading right for the Starlight building. Coming up to it, he pushed the door open with one hand, walking up to the receptionist at the front desk. "I'm here to see Sarah Ashcroft."

"Let me buzz you then." The receptionist smiled, tapping a button on an intercom. Transferring upstairs to the living quarters of Starlight, which belonged to the Card Hunters, Sarah heard the buzz from her bed, grabbing some of the sheets to cover her body, Keith scratching his head as he looked over at her, Sarah answering the intercom.

"Yes? What is it"  
"There's someone here to see you, Ms. Ashcroft"  
"Did the person say what their name was before you let them up, Iori"  
"I can ask now." The receptionist, Iori said, looking over at the young man. "What is your name, sir, so Ms. Ashcroft may know"  
"Daisuke. Daisuke Kyoshima. And she heard that I'm sure."

Keith grinned and said "It's cool, Sarah. Let him up. He's the guy I was tellin' you about, the guy who is gonna finally beat Yugi Mutoh, humiliating him for you"  
Sarah smiled, tapping her button on the intercom. "Iori, let him come upstairs."

"Yes, ma'am." Iori replied, before she let go of the intercom button. "She will be waiting to see you, Mr. Kyoshima. The elevator will take you up to where she will be waiitng."

"Thanks..." Daisuke replied, grabbing his suitcase in his right hand, heading to a nearby elevator, his left hand in his pocket, before he tapped the button on the elevator for Up, the door opening, with him stepping inside. The elevator rose, as Daisuke still had his left hand in his pocket, his right hand still holding the suitcase. Once the elevator reached his desired floor, Daisuke stepped out, seeing Sarah, who was in dark blue dress slacks, a similar buttoned top and a white blouse underneath it, as well as black dress shoes.

"Mr. Kyoshima, welcome, welcome! Keith had told me you were the one he felt could beat Yugi Mutoh!" Sarah smiled.  
"Yeah, well... my family has quite a reputation if you know this, Ms. Ashcroft. We Kyoshimas have never been defeated before, and we wouldn't let some upstart who claims to be the King of Duelists have that honor either. The main reason my father and mother asked me to come all the way here to Domino City was so we could deal with this Mutoh kid." Daisuke replied, setting his suitcase down softly.

"Well, that's why I contacted you." Keith smiled. "Just 'cause I know how much winning means to a guy like you. Let us show you around the facility."

Daisuke nodded, grabbing his suitcase again, following Keith and Sarah, showing him around the Card Hunters' training facility, much of it the most advanced tech they had access to. Sarah looked over at Daisuke and said "Besides our training facility, we have a massive card vault in order to construct any Deck there is, except for rare cards that are hard to obtain."

"Thanks, but I will play with my own cards. They haven't failed me yet." Daisuke replied. "Let's just get down to business. If I Duel Yugi, and I will, I want it to be done my way. Simple as that."

"Fair enough." Sarah smiled. Soon, Senbei stepped out of the vault, smiling gently as he bowed. "Sarah. Keith"  
"Senbei, what a surprise. What were you doing in the vault?" Keith asked, arms crossed.

"I just was looking to see if I needed any adjustments to my Deck, and it seems I am good to go. I'll be ready to battle Yugi when it comes down to it. I did come pretty close to beating him last time after all. If either you or Keith will permit me, Ms. Sarah, I can easily beat Yugi."

"That won't be necessary, Senbei. We already have someone who will guarantee results this time!" Sarah smiled, gesturing to Daisuke, who scoffed, looking at Senbei, just looking at him.

"He doesn't seem so strong to me. And you say he's taken on Yugi Mutoh already? I bet he didn't even do a thing against the kid if he really is the King of Duelists..."

"You're wrong about that. I had managed to give Yugi a hard time, and you should know this.... even if you are invincible so to speak, there is no way even you can beat Yugi... I can assure you this much. It's because he has something you don't... something he can show in the way he plays Duel Monsters yet something you can't see. I saw it myself when I dueled him, and I don't see you last as much of a chance against him, Mr. Invincible."

"Hmph. Then you need to know your place, trash." Daisuke replied, grabbing his suitcase, holding it up. "A Duel"  
"Fine with me. Sarah, if we can get an audience even as well as setting up the arena for us, we can begin this"  
Sarah nodded. "Very well... you two may Duel one another then.."

After some set-up, Senbei had his Duel Disk on, holding his Deck in one hand, Daisuke raising his arm up, holding his Deck in another, as Sarah, Keith, Rumiko, Bakura, Louis, Zeke, Uniqua, and Mark began to watch the Duel, Zeke resting his chin on his hand. "Well, this dude whom you mentioned doesn't seem like so much hot stuff to me, Keith... just like any other guy."

"You'll see soon enough, Zeke, that he's anything but like anyone else." Keith grinned, chuckling.

Both of the Duelists locked their Decks into the Deck Holder of their Duel Disks, both Duel DIsks getting ready at the same time, both Senbei and Daisuke saying "Duel!" at the same time, drawing their first five cards.

Senbei LP - 8000 Daisuke LP - 8000

"My turn! Draw!" Senbei drew his sixth card, observing all of his cards, trying to figure out what to do first. Exhaling, Senbei took a card and said "I'll place one Monster face-down."

Taking his Monster Card, Newt, Senbei set it face-down, as its' card appeared face-down on the Field. "Turn end"  
Daisuke closed his eyes and said "My turn. Draw." Drawing his card, Daisuke opened his eyes, looking at his whole hand, beginning to make his plans in his head as he took a card and said "I play Cybernetic Cyclopean in Attack Mode."

Appearing onto the Field was a green skinned kind of creature, with metal showing over much of its' body. Metal was where its' right chest and shoulder were, as well as in place of its' hands and wrists, with metal along its' lower half, and metallic legs, down from the knees, as well as a helmet with a samurai helmet kind of side pattern on the side of its' helmet, with a black and dark green visor over where its' eyes were as it roared.

CYBERNETIC CYCLOPEAN Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/1400 ATK/200 DEF Effect: While you have no cards in your hand, increase the ATK of this card by 1000 points.

"Cybernetic Cyclopean. When I have no cards in my hand, my Cyclopean's ATK is increased by 1000 points. But since I still have 5 cards in my hand, I can't use its' effect. But I will set two cards face-down. And that's the end of my turn." Daisuke coldly replied, having 3 cards in his hand now.

"My turn. Draw." Senbei drew his next card, looking at it and getting his Ritual Magic Card, Doriado's Blessing. He looked for his hand, and saw he had Elemental Mistress Doriado, his Ritual Monster, and smiled, holding out Doriado's Blessing. "Now I play the Ritual Magic Card, Doriado's Blessing!"

DORIADO'S BLESSING Ritual Magic Card Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Elemental Mistress Doriado". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Levels equal 3 or more from the Field or your hand.

"With this Ritual Magic Card, I will Sacrifice a Level 4 Monster from my hand, Vorse Raider, and then Ritual Summon Elemental Mistress Doriado in Defense Mode"  
In a flash of earth, fire, wind, and water, appeared a beautiful woman adorned in a long set of flowing white robes, with light blue, gold, and dark blue along the top of the robes, and down the middle was a dark blue and gold pattern, her fingers intertwined together, a smile on her face, with long blonde hair down her back, as well as violet-colored eyes and similiar colored earrings.

But the most noticable appearance was a decorative cap, designed with 11 dark red curves, the middle of each one having a gold line down the middle, with the lower half of the cap being a light yellow, while an orange yellow arch was along the curves of her cap, with a star in the center, and a gem in the center of that.

ELEMENTAL MISTRESS DORIADO Light/Spellcaster-Ritual/3/1200 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: This card can only first be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Magic Card, "Doriado's Blessing". The Attribute of this card is also treated as WIND, WATER, FIRE, and EARTH.

Now with just 3 cards in his hand left, Senbei tapped Newt's card and flipped it face-up. "I next Flip Summon Newt in Attack Mode!"

Appearing again on the Field, Newt had its' arms at its' sides, its' ATK and DEF rolling from 1900/400 to 2400/900 due to its' Flip Effect. Newt, or Slate Warrior as it was known as in some other circles, had been very dangerous because of this, and its' second effect of decreasing the ATK and DEF of a Monster that destroyed it as a result of battle by 500 points.

"Newt, attack Cybernetic Cyclopean!" Senbei called out, Newt charging forward, punching Cybernetic Cyclopean hard, destroying it, and dropping Daisuke's Life Points by 1000 points to 7000, Daisuke gritting his teeth, Senbei taking a card and setting it face-down. "I will next set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Daisuke drew his next card and chuckled. "Now I play a new card. I Special Summon Cyber Dragon in Attack Mode!"

Appearing on Daisuke's side of the Field was an elongated, metallic silver dragon, with what mimicked blades down the back of its' next, two tubes linked to the sides of its' jaws, its' tail cracking the air, with its' yellow eyes glowing brightly, as it let out a roar.

CYBER DRAGON Light/Machine/5/2100 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: If you have no Monsters on your side of the Field and your opponent has at least 1 Monster on his/her side of the Field, this card can be Special Summoned from your hand.

"Since you have two Monsters, and I have no Monsters, now I can Special Summon my Cyber Dragon, the heart of my Deck. And even if it's Level 5 with 2100 ATK, it is more than enough to take on your Doriado. Now with just three cards again, I now will play one of my set cards, Pot of Greed. Now, I draw two new cards."

Drawing his two cards, Daisuke looked at them, smiling as he had Cyber Dragon and De-Fusion. He also remembered he had set Polymerization too, just for this. "Next, I will play my next set card, Polymerization!"

"What? He never had a Trap Card set? Damn, his bluff was impressive!" Senbei said to himself. Daisuke held up his second Cyber Dragon. "Now I send my Cyber Dragon on the Field and my Cyber Dragon in my hand in order to Fusion Summon Cyber Twin Dragon in Attack Mode."

CYBER TWIN DRAGON Light/Machine/8/2800 ATK/2100 DEF "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon"  
Effect: A Fusion Summon of this card can only be conducted with the above Fusion Material Monsters. This Monster can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.

In a flash, two Cyber Dragons spiralled together, and there appeared an even more elongated Cyber Dragon, this one with two heads, roaring at Senbei. "Cyber Twin Dragon is a much stronger Cyber Dragon form. With its' ATK of 2800, and DEF of 2100, it is the second strongest of the Cyber Dragons. Plus, now it can attack twice in the same Battle Phase, Senbei Nakamura. Cyber Twin Dragon! Attack Doriado AND Newt!"

Cyber Twin Dragon's two mouths began to glow with a white hot flame, Daisuke calling out its' attack's name. "Twin Evolution Burst!!" and with that, Cyber Twin Dragon attacked, destroying Doriado and Newt, dropping Senbei's Life Points by 400 to 7600, Senbei speaking up. "You've now destroyed my Newt with Cyber Twin Dragon, so its' ATK and DEF are decreased by 500 points, putting your Cyber Twin Dragon at 2300 ATK, 1600 DEF. Now to add more insult to injury, Trap Card, activate! Ring of Destruction!"

As Ring of Destruction flipped up, the ring spiralled out of its' card art, clasping onto Cyber Twin Dragon, Senbei smiling. "Now, with Ring of Destruction, I select Cyber Twin Dragon, and when it's destroyed, our Life Points will drop by 2300 points."

"No. It won't at all. Quickplay Magic Card, De-Fusion, activate!"

DE-FUSION Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Return 1 Fusion Monster Card on the Field to the Fusion Deck. If all the Fusion-Material Monsters for the returned Fusion Monster Card are in the Graveyard, they can be Special Summoned to the Field at this time.

"With De-Fusion, I can return 1 Fusion Monster on the Field to my Fusion Deck, then Special Summon the Fusion-Material Monsters if they are in my Graveyard. So now, I send Cyber Twin Dragon back to my Fusion Deck, thus nulling Ring of Destruction's effect..." Cyber Twin Dragon disappeared in a flash, Ring of Destruction fading, Daisuke smiling arrogantly as he continued. "Now I will Special Summon back my Cyber Dragons in Attack Mode."

Slapping them down onto his Monster Card Zone, Daisuke's two Cyber Dragons reappeared, roaring. Daisuke smiled, holding his cards in his hand, having 2 now. "Turn end."

"My turn. Draw!" Senbei drew his next card, looking at his hand as he took a card, thrusting it forward. "I play Goblin Elite Attack Force in Attack Mode!"

Appearing in front of Senbei were four soldiers like the Goblin Attack Force, only decked out in armor instead of the primitive armor of yellow helmets, chest armor, and purple clothes and brown boots. Also, instead of clubs, the Goblin Elite Attack Force had swords and shields and capes as well.

GOBLIN ELITE ATTACK FORCE Earth/Demon/4/2200 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: When this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase. This position cannot be changed during your next turn.

"And now, I will also play Double Attack!" Senbei added, taking Dark Ruler Hades, holding him up to Daisuke. "By discarding a Level 6, I can now allow a Monster with a Level lower than it to attack twice this turn. And that'll be Goblin Elite Attack Force!" Slipping Hades into his Graveyard slot, Senbei then thrusted his hand forward. "Go for it, Goblin Elite Atack Force! Attack the Cyber Dragons!"

The armored goblins charged forward, two going after the Cyber Dragon on the left, and the others going after the Cyber Dragon on the right, slashing them in half, destroying them, dropping Daisuke's Life Points by 200 points to 6800. Daisuke scoffed. "Did that even hurt?"

"Little damage is better than big damage at times. Whittling your opponent down, letting them take a small bit of damage. A good tactician does this." Senbei replied. "Since it is the end of my Battle Phase, my Goblins now shift from Attack Mode to Defense Mode, like Goblin Attack Force, and their battle position can't change back during my next turn." Slowly, the Elite Attack Force knelt down, raising their shields up as a sign of being in Defense Mode.

"Next, I will set a card face-down. Turn end!" Senbei said, a Duel Monsters card appearing behind Goblin Elite Attack Force, who remained kneeling down. Daisuke scoffed and said "My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Daisuke held up and said "I will now Special Summon Cyber Dragon from my hand via its' effect, since you have a Monster, and I have no Monsters on my side of the Field."

Roaring, a third Cyber Dragon appeared, roaring right at Senbei. Daisuke smiled and said "Even if I have Cyber Dragon x 3, you will see the true terror of my Cyber Dragons soon enough. Now I play the Magic Card, Soul Charge. Paying 500 Life Points each, I can Specaial Summon Monsters from my Graveyard, but they can't attack and are in Defense Mode. So paying 1000 Life Points, I will Special Summon my two Cyber Dragons you destroyed during your last Battle Phase."

His Life Point counter rolling down to 5800 points, soon, in a sparkle of light, Daisuke's two Cyber Dragons returned to the Field, crouching down beside the third Cyber Dragon that Daisuke had on the Field. "Now I play the Magic Card, Coins from Heaven. I will draw 6 cards, and you shall draw 4."

Daisuke quickly drew his six cards, Senbei drawing his four, Rumiko and the others looking on as Bandit Keith smiled and said "Well... this should be interesting... I think Daisuke is gonna summon his legendary Monster to the Field."

"Legendary Monster? What in the world are you referring to, Keith?" Sarah asked.

Exhaling, Keith grinned at Sarah, pulling down the tip of his sunglasses softly. "Well, babe, Daisuke has 3 Cyber Dragons, right? Remember Cyber Twin Dragon? That was just one of the forms Cyber Dragon has... it also has another Fusion... and all Daisuke needs to let it shine is one particular Magic Card. That Magic Card... is Power Bond. Just watch, and you'll see just what Daisuke Kyoshima is all about, and why his family is legendary."

Daisuke looked at his hand, then closed his eyes, pulling a card as he thrusted it forward. The Magic Card appeared to be of someone spot-welding a metal slate with another, as if bonding them. "Now I activate my Magic Card, Power Bond, so you can see the true difference between our skills! This Magic Card lets me send Fusion-Material Monsters for a Machine-Type Fusion Monster and then Special Summon the Fusion Monster! The Special Summon of course is treated as a Fusion Summon. So now... three Cyber Dragons, fuse together into the strongest lifeform you can become!"

POWER BOND Normal Magic Card Effect: Send from your hand or your side of the Field to the Graveyard Fusion-Material Monsters that are found on 1 Machine-Type Fusion Monster and Special Summon that Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck. This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon. Increase the ATK of the Special Summoned Fusion Monster by an amount equal to its' original ATK. During the End Phase of this turn, the player who activated this card receives damage equal to the original ATK of the Special Summoned Fusion Monster.

The three Cyber Dragons fused together, in a burst of light, then appeared the largest Cyber Dragon of them all! Cyber End Dragon had three heads... with the main one in the middle appearing like a dragon, the left head on the left shoulder had a snake-like head, and the right head on the right shoulder was serpentine, rather than dragon or snake-like, as all three necks extended outward, with two large wings, blue orbs along the top of the wings, a similar one on its' chest. The middle head had yellow orbs on the side of its' neck, as well as the same color of eyes. The left head had green eyes and obrs, while the right one had red.

CYBER END DRAGON Light/Machine/10/4000 ATK/2800 DEF "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon" + "Cyber Dragon" Effect: A Fusion Summon of this card can only be conducted with the above Fusion Material Monsters. When this Monster attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Another additional effect to Power Bond is that the Machine-Type Fusion Monster I Special Summon with it has its' ATK increased by an amount equal to its' original ATK. Essentially, its' ATK is doubled. Now, instead of being a 4000/2800 Monster, Cyber End Dragon's ATK now becomes 8000 as long as it remains face-up on the Field!"

Everyone gasped, Rumiko covering her mouth with her hands. "How can something like that be beaten!?"

"Simple. It can't." Keith grinned. "Cyber End Dragon. A Level 10 Fusion with 4000 ATK, 2800 DEF. It can't be Fusion Summoned except by using 3 Cyber Dragons, and when it attacks with an ATK higher than the DEF of an opponent's Defense Mode Monster, it deals piercing Battle Damage equal to the difference. Since Senbei's Goblin Elite Attack Force has 1500 DEF, he'll lose 6500 Life Points from one shot of Cyber End Dragon's attack... even WITH his set card on the Field."

Bakura looked at Rumiko and said "Rumiko"  
"Brother..." Rumiko thought to herself, a sure look of shock on her face, her right hand resting above her heart. Bakura softly placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, then Rumiko hugged Bakura, scared for her brother now, as Bakura held her.

Sarah looked in terrified awe at Daisuke's skill and said "Keith... you were not kidding when you said that Daisuke was incredible. But this...! I had heard of the horror Power Bond could unleash, despite the drawback of its' power... how do you know Senbei will not make a counterattack once he gets his turn...?"

"Think about it, Sarah. An 8000 ATK Monster is gonna be breathing down his neck! No way can he last!"

Daisuke smiled. "This is it. Get ready. Cyber End Dragon, attack!! ETERNAL EVOLUTION BURST!!!" Cyber End Dragon's 3 mouths began to glow, Daisuke looking on intently, remembering his set card as he gritted his teeth, Daisuke smiling as Cyber End Dragon's attack smashed hard into Goblin Elite Attack Force, blowing it up, smashing Senbei too, who cried out at the top of his lungs, his Life Poionts dropped by a whopping 6500 points to 1100 points as he groaned, but grinned, raising his arm up.

'What? How can he keep going? Why? Why is he still going when he knows he is going to lose? Doesn't he...?'

"Trap Card, activate! Grave of Revival! This Trap Card can only be activated when a Monster of mine is destroyed as a result of battle, and then we both Special Summon a Monster in face-up Defense Mode from our Graveyards, but the Monsters can't change their Battle Positions while on the Field. My choice is Elemental Mistress Doriado!"

GRAVE OF REVIVAL Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card when your opponent destroys a Monster on your side of the Field and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of Battle. Each player Special Summons 1 Monster from their Graveyard to the Field in Defense Mode. The battle position of the Special Summoned Monsters cannot be changed.

In a flash of light, Doriado appeared, kneeling down over her horizontally turned card, holding her hands together as if in prayer. Daisuke scoffed and said "Such futility... I will Special Summon Cyber Dragon in Defense Mode"  
Appearing right next to Cyber End Dragon was the smaller Cyber Dragon, roaring before curling up.

Elemental Mistress Doriado DEF - 1400

Cyber Dragon DEF - 1600 Cyber End Dragon ATK - 8000

"Turn end." Daisuke said, as he then cried out, groaning, his Duel Disk's Life Point counter rolling from 5800 to 1800, Senbei thinking to himself. 'I get it. Power Bond has a price for all that power. The player that activates it takes damage equal to the original ATK of the Special Summoned Monster... so Daisuke and I are pretty close. But he still doesn't have what I have, and that's passion.'

"My turn. Draw!" Senbei drew his seventh card, looking at Daisuke. Daisuke looked back and said "Why do you keep going even when you know you'll lose eventually? Why do you not just accept your fate and surrender to me?"

"That is not how someone I know would work, Daisuke. I fight despite the futility of the matter! I will keep going until all cards have been played, until all options are done, and until my Life Points hit 0! So don't expect me to give in so easily! I will now set a card face-down! And that is the end of my turn!"

"Very well, you fool. I'll show you just how meaningless your efforts are. I'll show you how cold reality is... and the fact that winning is everything in this world! My turn! Draw!" Daisuke drew his next card, but Senbei quickly raised his hand up and said "Trap Card, activate! The Weathering Volcano, Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan!"

The armor to Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan appeared right in front of Doriado, as her eyes began to glow, Daisuke confused. "But, but how!? Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan needs 4 Monsters; Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water to make use of its' effect! How can one small fry Monster make use of its' effect?"

"She is a comrade, not a small fry, Daisuke. Doriado's effect is why. Besides her key Attribute of Light, she also has her Attribute treated as Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. So she is the perfect Monster for Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan. And I will activate its' effect to destroy all Monsters on your side of the Field!"

A blast of wind, similiar to when Senbei used Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan versus Yugi, ripped across the Field, sliding Cyber End Dragon and Cyber Dragon, causing them to explode, Daisuke crying out, everyone of the Card Hunters gasping, as Daisuke smiled. "Even if you got something to use... it's all I got there..."

"Oh, I do, you weakling." Gripping a card in his hand, Daisuke held out his card of choice. "Now I play Monster Reborn, Special Summoning back Cyber End Dragon." In a flash, Cyber End Dragon appeared right behind Daisuke, now having its' ATK at 4000 points once more. Daisuke smiled and said "It would seem victory smiles upon me."

"You should know... winning isn't everything." Senbei replied, smiling.

"Shows what you know. Cyber End Dragon, attack Doriado for the win!" Cyber End Dragon's mouths once again began to glow, as it shot forth its' Eternal Evolution Burst, all 3 beams melding together, then smashing Doriado, blowing her up, and dropping Senbei's Life Points to 0. Senbei stood there, a smile across his face as he said "Even if you are kind of stuck-up, Kyoshima, that Duel was fun..."

Daisuke stopped, looking at Senbei. "Duels, like anything in life, are not meant to be fun. Winning is all that matters... at least to us." He began to walk off and looked up at Sarah. "Ms. Ashcroft, do you still wish to want my services in defeating this Yugi Mutoh upstart? I can still do it if you wish."

"Oh, I do, Daisuke. You showed what kinds of power you have, and I do want to see you crush Yugi Mutoh. The agreement is simple. Once the Duel is done, you will collect your payment. Your family has done this kind of thing before, haven't they?"

"We have. We've often humiliated others in sports we excelled at for others, and so doing this in Duel Monsters will be no 'big whoop' as it is said." Daisuke replied, grabbing his suitcase, putting his sunglasses on. "And I already know what Yugi Mutoh looks like. If you want to televise this, go ahead... I'm going." Walking off, Daisuke had his eyes closed, Sarah grinning at the fact perhaps she had someone who could actually defeat Yugi Mutoh and humiliate him!

Daisuke, standing in the elevator, suitcase down, arms crossed, closed his eyes and said "Even if you are the King of Duelists, you cannot defeat me, Yugi Mutoh. That is something I cannot allow. As long as I Duel, I will never accept defeat"  
The elevator's doors closed, as Daisuke was gone, ready to make his plan to deal with Yugi Mutoh.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	34. Chapter 34

Episode 34 - The "Invincible" Duelist! Yugi vs. Daisuke

Yugi was inside of his home, working on some homework, yawning a bit. 'I wish this homework would be done with... I feel like I am gonna pass out from boredom soon. But...' Scribbling down something onto his homework, Yugi exhaled, smiling as he said 'Now... I'm...'

"DONE!! UGH!!" Yugi leaned back in his chair, groaning a bit, eyes closed, arms at his sides. "Took me a while to get that English work done, but I am glad to get it out of the way! Now I can relax!"

Taro walked in and chuckled. "Yuge, if you think that was intense, for the most part, while Mom and I were living in New York after Dad died, school was a little harder, and sometimes, we didn't even get a chance to study when working on our schoolwork!" Sitting on his futon, Taro crossed his legs. "But, hey, when you're a gaijin in the US's eyes, as well as barely speaking any English, it is rough. But learning English was a simple task. Once Mom and I got it, we were golden!"

"Lucky you, Taro. Learning English in class sometimes is tough, even if it's going to help in case anyone who speaks English shows up in Japan." Yugi replied, pulling out a laptop, plugging it in, and turning it on. "Now I should check my e-mail, just in case." Looking into his inbox, Yugi examined all the e-mail he had, Horus transparent on his shoulder, whispering. "What's this you're doing, Yugi? I remember you've done this before..."

"It's e-mail, Horus. It's like mail, only electronically sent instead of from a person... hello." Yugi blinked when he looked at one of his e-mails, labelled "Challenge' as the topic, and the sender name being "Kyoshima Daisuke" from an address at .jp. Yugi looked over the e-mail then shot a glance at Taro. "Hey, Taro, did you send me some joke e-mail from another computer and account?"

"Why would I do that!?" Taro replied. "Who's it from?"  
"Some guy named Daisuke Kyoshima." Yugi exclaimed, looking at it.

Taro blinked a minute then cried out. "Wait, wait! Did you say... Kyoshima!?! Yugi, I've heard of that name! They're this weird family of super-athletes! Been in sports for about 30 years or so since the '70s! Said to be undefeated... and one of them, Daisuke, is also an avid Duel Monsters player... people say he may be your equal, Yugi, but they forget you have the title of King of Duelists, even if Atem for the most part helped you."

"No, he did most of the work, Taro. I was just the vessel for his soul is all... anyway, I'm gonna see what this e-mail is about." Rolling his index finger along the mouse area of his laptop, Yugi then double-clicked the e-mail, opening it, reading it over.

"Yugi Mutoh, I have heard about your accolade as King of Duelists, but to me, you are nothing. Just a kid who got lucky against people who might as well have surrendered against your skill. I have been asked by someone to test your prowess and skill. Meet me, with your friends or alone, it won't matter, because they will be witnesses to your defeat at my hands. Domino Stadium is the location. 7:00 tonight. - Daisuke Kyoshima"

"So... it's a challenge..." Yugi replied.  
"Yeah. Hey, Yuge, are you gonna accept?" Taro replied.  
Yugi exhaled and said "Why not? But I may as well go alone... I don't know what to expect, so that's why it may be easier. You don't mind, do you?"

"Naw! You go ahead and go, Yugi. Kick some butt, but don't forget to be true to yourself, dude." Taro smiled, holding his closed firist out.  
Yugi smiled back, nodding as he batted his own closed fist against Taro's, smiling still.

After a bit of time, after riding on the bus, Yugi, with his Duel Disk on, walked forward, looking about. The last time he had been near Domino Stadium was during the Battle City tournament. He looked about and sighed softly, then exhaled, closing his eyes. He then opened them, looking about slowly, exhaling softly.

Soon enough, the lights turned on, as Yugi cried out, Horus flapping his wings as he looked around. "Holy cow! So many lights have come on all at once, Yugi! What the heck is going on?!"  
"I don't know!" Yugi groaned. Soon, Daisuke stood up, arms crossed, cameras set up by Sarah as he closed his eyes, then leapt up into the air, landing down.

"So. You actually decided to come. I'm amazed, Yugi Mutoh.... Still, somehow I knew deep down you wouldn't back down from my challenge."

"You're Daisuke Kyoshima, eh? So why bring me here? You told me someone hasd asked you to test my prowess, Daisuke..."

Daisuke nodded. "Yes. I was asked by someone to do that, but my main intent is to beat you so you can see how shocking reality is... when you are defeated by someone who is your better. I do not feel you are the one worthy of the title King of Duelists. I also bet you are wondering about the cameras. They were set up by the one who asked me to Duel you... so that everyone all over Japan can watch our battle. You do not mind, do you?"

"Fine with me, Daisuke. I just hope this Duel is gonna be an enjoyable one!" Grinned Yugi, pulling his Deck out of his Deck holder attached to his belt, locking it inside of his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, Daisuke holding his Deck in his hand as he did the same, the cameras automatically going on, as Sarah, watching from her office, smiled.

'This is it... the moment of truth... when Yugi Mutoh will fall!!'

Taro was sitting with his aunt, uncle, and grandpa, all of them laughing at the comedy program they were watching, until suddenly, the view on the TV changed to Yugi and Daisuke's setting at Domino Stadium, Taro blinking. "Yuge!? Holy crap, is that the guy who sent him that e-mail earlier?!"

"What e-mail, Taro, dear?" Sukiko or "Suki", Yugi's mother, blinked, asking.  
"Yugi got some e-mail earlier on his laptop, and it was a challenge for a Duel. That guy he is taking on is named Daisuke Kyoshima, Aunt Suki. I wonder how the heck... the Card Hunters!"

Yuu rubbed his chin. "Daisuke Kyoshima. I've heard of the Kyoshimas. Then again, who hasn't?"  
"I have too." Solomon replied. "I faced up against one of them. Our game never finished, but he was a formidable force. It makes me wonder what Yugi is in store for..."

Meanwhile, all over Domino City, and much of Japan, televisions, changed from their regular scheduled programs, thanks to Sarah's connections and her company's technology, was able to make viewers tune into Yugi and Daisuke's Duel. T a, Tristan, Joey, Melody, Mary, Duke, the Card Hunters, Kaiba, and others Yugi had met and heard of all observed the Duel, Daisuke and Yugi both saying "DUEL!!"

Yugi's LP - 8000 Daisuke's LP - 8000

"This Duel has been set for 8000 Life Points, Yugi, if you do not mind.... and the first turn is yours."

"Alright." Yugi smiled. "Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Yugi looked over his hand, beginning to think of what to do next. He saw he had Marshmalon in his hand, and nodded, taking it and slapping it face-down onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I'll set this Monster face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." Daisuke had his eyes closed as he drew his next card, then opened his eyes, holding his drawn card out. "I Special Summon, with its' effect, Cyber Dragon."

In a flash of light, Cyber Dragon roared, appearing in front of Daisuke, Daisuke smiling. "You must have chosen a small Monster to lead off with, to see what I would do, I believe. Well, it would seem your tactic has failed since your small Monster is going to be destroyed now. Cyber Dragon, attack and destroy Mutoh's small fry! Evolution Burst!"

Cyber Dragon slid its' way over Yugi's set Monster, its' mouth open, a burst of fire blasting downward, engulfing Yugi's set Monster, causing him to cry out. The set card exploded and Marshmalon revealed itself, crying out a bit, Daisuke looking in surprise and looking on.

"Tch... Marshmalon? Who runs that in their Deck really?" Daisuke scoffed, eyes closed.  
"A smart Duelist, Daisuke. When Marshmalon is attacked while face-down, anyone attacking it takes 1000 points of damage, and given it can't be destroyed in battle, that makes for a good card." Yugi replied, smiling, eyes closed. "But I guess you didn't think about that. Sorry."

Daisuke flinched a bit, his Life Point counter rolling from 8000 to 7000. "A lucky break. I may have lost my Battle Phase, but I can still Normal Summon or Set a Monster. So I set a Monster face-down." In a flash, a Duel Monsters card appeared next to Cyber Dragon, its' back up, turned horizontally, the sign of a set Monster Card. "Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, and saw he had drawn Berfomet. He also saw Fusion Sage and Kishido Spirit. Not sure of the set Monster Daisuke had, Yugi had to be cautious. "First up, I sacrifice Marshmalon..."

Marshmalon disappeared as Yugi slapped Berfomet's card in its' place. "And I Sacrifice Summon Berfomet in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Berfomet roared, all of its' claws clenched, its' wings spread out. "Now thanks to me Normal Summoning Berfomet, I can add 1 copy of Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to my hand from my Deck."

Pulling his Deck out, Yugi fanned out the cards, grabbing Gazelle's card quickly, showing it to Daisuke, as he said "And now, I shuffle my Deck!" Shuffling his Deck next, after a bit, Yugi placed it back into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, as he made his next move, pulling Fusion Sage from his hand, thrusting it forward. "And now! Normal Magic Card, Fusion Sage, activate!"

Pulling his Deck out once more, Yugi pulled out a copy of Polymerization, then shuffled his Deck, sliding it back into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder. "Now I play the Polymerization I added to my hand via Fusion Sage, Fusing Gazelle and Berfomet into..."

Gazelle flashed onto the Field, even if not summoned by Yugi, as he and Berfomet spiralled around each other, Yugi pulling out Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast from his Fusion Deck. "Fusion Summon! Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast in Attack Mode!" Roaring loudly, Chimera appeared right in front of Yugi, landing down, teeth bared, ready to fight.

Chimera ATK/DEF - 2100/1800

"So what if you managed to get Chimera out? Its' ATK is still equal to Cyber Dragon's. You attack it, it'll be destroyed. So your only option now is to attack my set Monster." Daisuke smiled. 'And when you do, you'll activate Steel Scorpion's effect, and thus lose Chimera at your second End Phase when you've attacked it, Yugi."

"Annnnt! Wrong!" Yugi grinned, making the sound like a buzzer in a game show. "I got a Magic Card that can help with that. Permanent Magic Card, Kishido Spirit!" In a flash, Kishido Spirit appeared on Yugi's side of the Field, glowing. Smiling, Yugi now had just 3 cards in his hand, but was really enjoying himself. "When Kishido Spirit is on the Field, any time my Monsters attack with an ATK equal to the ATK of your Monsters, they aren't destroyed in battle."

'Uh... did, did he..? No way did he anticipate my having this!' Daisuke gritted his teeth.  
"Alright, Chimera, go! Attack Cyber Dragon!" Yugi smiled, calling out to his only Monster. Chimera charged across the Field, wings flapping, feet stampeding on the ground. "Impact Dash!"

Chimera then smashed its' sets of horns into Cyber Dragon, destroying it with one blow, not dealing any damage to Daisuke's Life Points though, but at least destroying Cyber Dragon. "Turn end!" Yugi smiled still, Daisuke gritting his teeth.

'This kid... why the hell is he smiling!? Is he making fun of me? Damn him. I won't let him make a mockery of who I am! I WILL crush him, and make him see who the real Duel King should be!' Daisuke thought. "My turn. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Daisuke gritted his teeth at Yugi, and said "Now, I play De-Fusion, sending Chimera back to your Fusion Deck, and Special Summoning Gazelle and Berfomet for you also."

Yugi nodded, Chimera glowing as he split back into Gazelle and Berfomet, which Yugi Special Summoned in Defense Mode, just in case.

"Now, I play this Magic Card! Lightning Vortex! Discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy all face-up Monsters on your side of the Field." Taking Cybernetic Cyclopean from his hand, Daisuke slid it into his Graveyard, as bolts of lightning came spiralling downward, blowing away Gazelle and Berfomet.

Yugi himself cried out a bit, as Daisuke now had 2 cards left. He took one of them and said "Now I activate Pot of Greed, drawing 2 new cards." Closing his eyes, Daisuke drew two cards, then said "First, I will set a card face-down..." Daisuke smiled, as he had set Emergency Provisions, then said "And next, I play the Permanent Magic Card, Mirage of Nightmare. During your Standby Phase, I will get to draw up to 4 cards, but if it remains on the Field, during my next Standby Phase, I'll have to discard all of the cards I've drawn randomly."

"Yeah, and if you destroy it before that, you get to keep your cards, free of discards." Yugi replied, smiling still."I know the card well because my grandpa runs it."

"Hmph. Now it's time for me to damage your Life Points. Now I play Cybernetic Cyclopean in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, Cybernetic Cyclopean roared, its' muscles expanded, its' ATK now 2400 points. "Thanks to my hand being empty, I now can increase Cybernetic Cyclopean's attack from 1400 to 2400, a quick 1000 point increase. Cybernetic Cyclopean, player direct attack!"

Cybernetic Cyclopean leapt into the air, came right down and punched Yugi who cried out from the impact, his LP dropped by 2400 points from 8000 to 5600. Skidding back, Yugi panted a bit, groaning, as Daisuke smiled, arms crossed.

"Turn end. Now, you are beginning to see the difference in our skills, Yugi Mutoh. You may have dealt 1000 points of damage to me, but that must have been a fluke. Had you and I Dueled in the finals of Battle City, you would have been the loser, God Cards or not."

"Yugi!" Everyone in his household had said, watching the fight.  
"Man, this guy is a pretty strong tactician!" Taro looked on. "But he is sure underestimating Yugi, sayin' he'd beat him or Atem at the Battle City finals if he was in Battle City! And... he's lackin' somethin'."

"I noticed it too." Sukiko said. "He's not having fun. It's as if all he cares about is winning..."  
Yuu nodded. "Mmm. He is lacking something that Yugi has..."

At his own apartment, Joey cried out. "Yugi, what the heck, man!? This guy is knockin' you around like you were a rookie! Howl if you're a man!"  
Jo'ken looked on and said "So this is what it's like..."

T a gasped a bit, her hand over her mouth. "Yugi..."

Yugi stood up, chuckling, Daisuke blinking. "Not a bad blow... but I don't know if you coulda won against my other self when he was around, Daisuke."

"What?"

"And from what I can tell so far, you lack a small something." Yugi smiled. "My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, Daisuke thrusting his hand forward. "Now I get to draw 4 cards from Mirage of Nightmare's effect." Drawing his new cards, Daisuke looked to see his hand, but soon, Yugi said "Now it's my turn to make a comeback. Magic Card! Brain Control!"

BRAIN CONTROL Normal Magic Card Effect: Pay 800 Life Points. Select 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field and take control of it until the End Phase of your turn.

"At the cost of 800 Life Points, I can take control of a face-up Monster on your side of the Field until the End Phase of my turn." The Life Point counter on Yugi's Duel Disk rolled from 5600 to 4800, as then hands shot out, grabbing Cybernetic Cyclopean, bringing him to Yugi's side of the Field.

"Quickplay Magic Card! Emergency Provisions! I will send Mirage of Nightmare to the Graveyard, bringing my Life Points up to 8000 again." In a flash, Mirage of Nightmare disappeared, Daisuke's Life Points going to 8000 again, Yugi looking at his hand, deciding his best plan of attack.

"Now I Sacrifice your Cybernetic Cyclopean and I summon Archfiend of Gilfer in Defense Mode!"

Yugi said, Cybernetic Cyclopean flashing in a light, and then in its' place, a pale blue demon appearing with dark red armor over its' wrists, ankles, the lower half of its' body, the upper half of its' body, and around its' face. Also, Archfiend of Gilfer had blades out of its' elbows, down its' low half, as well as two down its' chests, and its' shoulders, a blade-like horn on its' forehead, and on its' chin, as well as 2 red wings, and small ones on the sides of its' heads, as its' yellow eyes began to glow, a loud roar coming from Archfiend of Gilfer as it knelt down.

ARCHFIEND OF GILFER Dark/Demon/6/2200 ATK/2500 DEF Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard, you can activate its' effect. You can then equip it to a Monster on the Field, and this card will be treated as an Equip Magic Card that decreases the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 500 points.

"Next, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn." Yugi added, sliding two Magic and Trap Cards into his Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone. Flashing with two cards behind Archfiend of Gilfer, Yugi exhaled, wiping his brow, but smiled.

"My turn. Draw!" Daisuke drew his next card, and took a Magic Card from his hand and played it. "Magic Card, Pot of Generosity! Even if this card doesn't seem good, it is. I can add 2 cards from my hand to my Deck." Taking Cyber Dragon and Two-Headed King Rex from his hand, Daisuke showed them to Yugi and said "These two will go into my Deck." Sliding the two cards into his Deck, Daisuke pulled his Deck out. "Now I shuffle my Deck." Shuffling his Deck, Daisuke closed his eyes, continuing to shuffle until he slid it back into his Duel Disk's Deck holder.

POT OF GENEROSITY Normal Magic Card Effect: Return 2 cards from your hand to your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck.

"Now I will turn my face-down Monster face-up. Come out! Steel Scorpion!" Daisuke replied. Steel Scorpion was a metallic blue scorpion with orange-red eyes, its' stinger slashing the air.

STEEL SCORPION Earth/Machine/1/250 ATK/300 DEF Effect: A non-Machine-Type Monster attacking this card is destroyed during your opponent's second End Phase after the attack.

"Next, I play the Magic Card, Tribute Doll! I will Sacrifice Steel Scorpion and Special Summon the Normal Summonable Mechanical Hound in Attack Mode!!" Now with just one card left in his hand, Daisuke slapped it into his Monster Card Zone, Steel Scorpion disappearing in a flash of light, as in its' place came a golden metallic dog, with silver cogs around its' ankles, similiar colored blades down its' chest and at the ends of its' ears, as well as claws of the same color as it barked, its' red eyes beginning to give off a glow.

MECHANICAL HOUND Earth/Machine/7/2800 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: While you have no cards in your hand, your opponent cannot activate Magic Cards.

"Mechanical Hound. When I have no cards in my hand, you cannot acrivate Magic Cards as long as it remains on the Field, considering I spent the last of my hand to make sure your Magic Cards are sealed up. What now, 'your highness'?"

"You'll see I don't need Magic Cards to completely win, Daisuke." Yugi smiled. "Besides, so far, I've been enjoying myself! But you just seem...bored."

"Enjoyment? Duels, like anything in life worth having, are about victory, Yugi. If you do not win, all you are is a loser. I end my turn, since Tribute Doll prevents me from attacking with my Special Summoned Level 7 Monster." Daisuke replied.

"My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi saw he had drawn Beaver Warrior, one of his smaller Monsters, and a Monster he and Atem had not used after Duelist Kingdom. But Yugi smiled and said "First things first, Trap Card, activate! Zero Gravity!"

"Zero Gravity?" Daisuke blinked.

At the Mutohs' home, Taro thrusted his arms back and whooped. "Yes! Zero Gravity is a good move! Yugi can turn Mechanical Hound to Defense Mode, and Archfiend of Gilfer to Attack Mode, and since Mechanical Hound has a DEF of 1500, Yugi can easily destroy it!"

"That's my grandson after all." Solomon smiled, arms crossed.

"And OUR son, Dad!" Yuu replied, Sukiko smiling. "But what about Yugi's other set card?"

"For all I know, Aunt Suki, Yuge's got Meteorain! That's what I'd do. Use it to give his Monsters Piercing Battle Damage so that he can hurt Daisuke's LP even if Mechanical Hound is in Defense Mode." Taro grinned, giving a peace sign.

"Then I hope you are right!" Sukiko smiled, holding her hands togehter.

At the battlefield, Yugi began explaining. "Zero Gravity is a simple Normal Trap Card, which shifts the Battle Positions of all Monsters on the Field to their opposite positions. Your Mechanical Hound and my Archfiend now switch!"

In a flash, Archfiend of Gilfer was in Attack Mode, and Mechanical Hound was in Defense Mode, the tables turned.

Archfiend of Gilfer ATK - 2200 Mechanical Hound DEF - 1500

"Next, I summon Beaver Warrior in Attack Mode!" Now, Yugi had NO cards in his hand, as Beaver Warrior cried out. Appearing next to Archfiend of Gilfer, Beaver Warrior had a small sword in its' left hand, a small shield in its' right hand, blue armor on its' chest, a spiked helmet on its' head, and blue boots over its' grey-ish fur, with its' teeth downward, as well as its' red eyes blinking when it moved its' tail.

BEAVER WARRIOR Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/1200 ATK/1500 DEF

"So? You have a weaker Monster for fodder. What good will it do to have 2 Monsters when you won't damage my Life Points if Mechanical Hound is in Defense Mode."

"You forgot about my second set card. Trap Card, activate! Meteorain! Now, I'm gonna be able to damage your Life Points, even if Mechanical Hound is in Defense Mode! So here I come, Daisuke! Battle! Archfiend of Gilfer, attack Mechanical Hound! Gilfer Flame!"

The spikes on Archfiend of Gilfer's lower body began to ignite with a red hot flame, shooting out fire which hit Mechanical Hound, destroying it in one blow, and dropping Daisuke's Life Points to 7300, leaving Daisuke wide open. Yugi thrusted his hand forward and said "Beaver Warrior, attack the player directly!"

Beaver Warrior scurried fast across the Field, then slashed its' small sword downward on Daisuke's body, causing him to cry out from the attack, Beaver Warrior leaping back to the side of Archfiend of Gilfer. Daisuke gritted his teeth, clenching his right hand, his Life Points now dropped to 6100, closer to Yugi's Life Points than earlier.

'You scum... attacking me with a small fry like that! I'll make you pay for that, Yugi Mutoh! I swear it! I will not be defeated by you!' Daisuke thought to himself, Yugi smiling, enjoying himself, and the Duel, even if his opponent wasn't having much fun. Yugi looked at Daisuke and said "Hey! Why can't you just relax and have fun? It's just a game."

"Just a game? You just don't get it, Yugi. Pride in being undefeated is what my family has! We can never accept something trivial like defeat as an answer. It's win, win, win, we must do, or else we will never be truly strong. The strong ones are the ones who fight to win no matter what, who are too afraid of defeat to even understand it or accept it! That is why I can never have 'fun' playing a game!"

"That's kinda sad when you think about it..." Yugi replied, scratching his head. "Turn end!"  
'I will not lose to this kid... who does he think he is!? This is going to end! Right now!' "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Daisuke glared at Yugi, as if he was ready to kill him for what he had said earlier. But there was more in Daisuke's words than anything else. Right now, though, all that mattered was victory, no matter what it took!

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	35. Chapter 35

Episode 35 - Cyber End Dragon

Yugi's Life Points - 4800 Daisuke's Life Points - 6100

"Heh. I play Coins from Heaven! Now, since we both have zero cards in our hands, we draw six cards!" Daisuke added. In a flash, Yugi and Daisuke both drew their 6 cards, looking at their hands, as Daisuke held up a card. "Now I play Graceful Charity, drawing three more cards then discarding two once I am done."

Daisuke drew 3 more cards, now having 8 cards, looking at his hand. He took a Cyber Dragon and Hiro's Shadow Scout, showing them to Yugi. "Now I will discard these two cards to the Graveyard." Sliding them into his Graveyard slot, he smiled and said "Now I play the Magic Card, Soul Charge! I pay 1000 Life Points, and will Special Summon my two Cyber Dragons from the Graveyard!"

In 2 flashes, two Cyber Dragons appeared in Defense Mode in front of Daisuke, as he smiled, taking another card from his hand and held it forward. "I now play Polymerization, Fusing my two Cyber Dragons into Cyber Twin Dragon!" In a flash, Daisuke's two Cyber Dragons were gone, replaced by Cyber Twin Dragon, which let out a twin roar, Yugi looking on in awe. "Whoa...."

"Cyber Twin Dragon, attack his Monsters! Twin Evolution Burst!" Daisuke cried out. Cyber Twin Dragon's mouths began to glow, as it fired at Yugi's Monsters, destroying them both, but Yugi's Life Points only went down by 600 points to 4200, Daisuke blinking. "What is this!? Your Life Points should have gone down by 2200 points!"

Yugi smiled, holding up Kuriboh. "It's because I discard Kuriboh at the time you destroyed Beaver Warrior so that I could protect my Life Points, Daisuke. Thanks again Kuriboh." Yugi slid Kuriboh's card into his Graveyard slot, Kuriboh appearing transparently and nodding "Kuri kuri!"

"Rrr..."

"And now I'll use Archfiend of Gilfer's effect, equipping it to Cyber Twin Dragon, dropping its' ATK by 500 points!" Yugi added. Archfiend of Gilfer, even if transparent, floated around Cyber Twin Dragon, its' ATK dropping by 500 points to 2300 ATK. Daisuke shrugged. 'Fine with me. I'll set a card face-down. Turn end." Daisuke smiled. 'Once he attacks with whatever he gets next, I'll spring Mirror Force on him, destroying his Monster, then direct attack...'

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking at the cards in his hand. "I activate from my hand Pot of Greed! I draw 2 cards from my Deck!" Yugi drew his two cards, looking at his hand, Yugi took 3 cards; Magical Hats, Spellbinding Circle, and Emergency Provisions, setting them down. "I'll set 3 cards face-down, then I play Dark Magic Curtain! With this Magic Card, I pay half of my Life Points, dropping me to 2100...."

Yugi's Duel Disk Life Point counter begam to count down from 4200 to 2100, Yugi smiling as he said "Now I play my set card, Emergency Provisions, sending Magical Hats, one of my set cards, and Dark Magic Curtain to the Graveyard, increasing my Life Points by 2000 points!" Yugi's Life Point counter then rolled up from 2100 to 4100, as Yugi pulled his Deck out. "And I also still get to Special Summon 1 Dark Magician from my Deck! Come out! Dark Magician!"

In a flash, a red curtain, with a skeleton, human almost, like the one on the card art of Dark Magic Curtain, appeared, and out came Dark Magician, holding his staff in hand. "And since I can't Normal, Flip, or Special Summon any other Monsters, Dark Magician is gonna have to fly solo here. But first up, I am going to get rid of that set card of yours." Yugi had only had 3 of his 7 cards from earlier left, and held it forward. "Magic Card - Dark Magic Attack!!"

DARK MAGIC ATTACK Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when you have a face-up "Dark Magician" on your side of the Field. Destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on your opponent's side of the Field.

"This card can only be activated if Dark Magician is on my side of the Field. Now, he can destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on my opponent's side of the Field!" Dark Magician's staff began to crackle at the end, as Dark Magician himself cried out, blasting out a ball of energy which destroyed Daisuke's Mirror Force, Daisuke crying out.

Yugi then took another card from his hand, holding it up. "Magic Card, Magic Formula! This Equip Magic Card increases Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl's ATK by 700 points, and when it is sent from my side of the Field to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points!"

Dark Magician's body began to glow, his ATK rolling from 2500 to 3200, Yugi thrusting his hand forward. "Dark Magician! Attack Cyber Twin Dragon!" Hearing Yugi's command, Dark Magician nodded, crying out as he leapt forward, shooting a shot of his Dark Magic Attack from his staff, destroying Cyber Twin Dragon, and dropping Daisuke's Life Points by 900 points to 5200. "Turn end!"

"My turn... draw!" Daisuke drew his next card, now having 4 cards, as he held up one. "I now activate the Magic Card, Re-Fusion. At the cost of 800 points, I can Special Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Graveyard. Come back, Cyber Twin Dragon!"

RE-FUSION Equip Magic Card Effect: Pay 800 Life Points. Select 1 Fusion Monster Card from your Graveyard, Special Summon it onto the Field in face-up Attack Mode, and equip it with this card. When this card is destroyed, remove the equipped Monster from play.

Daisuke said, his Life Points now at 4400 points, just 300 points ahead of Yugi, as he smiled, Cyber Twin Dragon returning to the Field. "Now I play my second copy of De-Fusion, sending Cyber Twin Dragon to my Fusion Deck and Special Summoning my Cyber Dragons!"

In a flash of light, Cyber Twin Dragon disappeared, replaced by two of Daisuke's Cyber Dragons. Daisuke grinned and said "It is over now, Yugi... I play this!" Daisuke took his 3rd and final Cyber Dragon from his Deck and raised it up, along with Power Bond, a gust of wind blowing over him.

"I NOW PLAY THE MAGIC CARD, POWER BOND!!! I WILL SEND MY 3 CYBER DRAGONS TO THE GRAVEYARD AND FUSION SUMMON CYBER END DRAGON!!!"

Yugi cried out, as the gust of wind got bigger, Taro gulping. "Oh, crap, crap, crap, crap, craaaaaaap!!!"  
"Cyber End Dragon!?!" Yuu said. "Fusion Summoned by Power Bond!?"

Kaiba, watching from his office looked on and said "A Fusion as formidable as the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and he has it... Yugi may not be able to counter this. But he cannot lose to this man. If anyone will beat him eventually, it will be me..."

"Ah, yes! At long last! The great Cyber End Dragon Daisuke used to defeat Senbei! With one sure attack, Yugi will lose! His Life Points are only 4100, and Dark Magician's ATK is 3200 thanks to the effect of Magic Formula. Even if Daisuke does destroy it, all Yugi will have is nothing... he'll have lost." Sarah smiled. "How delicious..."

Back at the battlefield, Daisuke cackled, as Cyber End Dragon, armed with 8000 ATK thanks to Power Bond, appeared on the Field. "Heheheheh!! You can see how powerful Cyber End Dragon is, thanks to Power Bond! Yugi! In front of all of these cameras, I'll give you one last chance! Surrender now and you can be spared the humiliation I am about to give you once it attacks during my Battle Phase!"

"Did he just say surrender?!" Sukiko blinked.  
"He did, Suki-chan. To admit defeat, and quit, a person who plays Duel Monsters can place their hand on their Deck... but why does he think he'll win?"

"With a Monster that has 8000 ATK, he must think Yugi cannot win at all." Solomon replied.

"Surrender? No way!" Yugi smiled. "Just because Cyber End Dragon has an 8000 ATK right now doesn't mean that I will lose that easily, and I cannot surrender against this kind of challenge at all!"  
"Damn you! How can you just smile about all of this!? You're about to lose!"

"So? Even if I am possibly gonna lose, it doesn't mean I really didn't get to fight you at your best yet. Sure, you may have a strong Monster, but you lack something I've seen from some Duelists, as well as seen in the eyes of those I know. It's a lack of passion."

"Passion?"

"Yeah. The whole point of this game is that it's fun... and that is first, second to winning. That's the whole point of a Duel. It's supposed to be fun."

"A Duel... supposed to be fun...? Rubbish! Only winning is what counts! And I can very well prove that to you right now!!! Cyber End Dragon! Attack Dark Magician!" Daisuke cried out. Cyber End Dragon's mouths began to glow a bright hot white, Yugi watching as he then said "Trap Card, activate! Spellbinding Circle!! Ensnare Cyber End Dragon!"

Suddenly, a circle with a spellmark appeared, clasping around Cyber End Dragon, trapping it in place as it squirmed. Yugi exhaled, Daisuke looking in shock. "I had Spellbinding Circle in place, just in case! Now your Cyber End Dragon cannot attack, and change its' Battle Position as long as Spellbinding Circle is holding it in place."

SPELLBINDING CIRCLE Continuous Trap Card Effect: Select 1 face-up Monster on the Field. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, the selected Monster cannot attack or change its' Battle Position. When the selected Monster is destroyed, this card is also destroyed.

"Rrrrrr. I'll set a card face-down, and end my turn." Daisuke said, his Life Points rolling to 400.

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, Daisuke smiling. "If I can't very well win, Yugi... I'll make sure we both tie. TRAP CARD, ACTIVATE!! RING OF DESTRUCTION!!"  
A ring wrapped around Cyber End Dragon, then exploded, Yugi and Daisuke crying out, their Life Points droppong to 0. Daisuke smiled and said "And that is the end of the Duel." Daisuke slowly turned away, eyes closed.

"Whoa... Daisuke! Wait!" Yugi shouted, Daisuke stopping. "Why do you hate defeat so much?"  
"Simple. Originally, my family had not been able to do anything... we could not stand on our own, until my father began to change things for us. So now... defeat is not an answer. But know this. I will defeat you, Yugi Mutoh... and take your title of King of Duelists from you. Plain and simple." Daisuke then began to walk again, Yugi looking on at him, blinking softly.

Sarah soon cut off the broadcast, standing up, as Keith walked into the room. "Hey! Did he win?"  
"No... he only tied... dammit!!" Sarah cried out, slamming her closed hands on Keith's chest, eyes closed, sniffling from her. "I just want to make Pegasus suffer by defeating Yugi Mutoh and ruining his dream.... he ruined things for my friend... why cannot he be made to pay? Why, why, why?"

Keith looked down at Sarah, just wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "Hey, hey, it's OK.... don't you worry your pretty little head off, babe... we'll figure out something. I'm sure of it. Besides, don't forget you're not alone on this little caper... ya got me to back you up."

Sarah nodded softly, just sniffling, while Keith held her in his arms.

On the bus, Yugi groaned, his Duel Disk resting on his arm still, and it resting on his right leg. Horus appeared, transparent to everyone else, resting on Yugi's shoulder. Seeing his stop, Yugi turned, and smiled, hitting the buzzer to have the driver stop the bus.

Slowly stepping off, Yugi and Horus walked as Horus said. "Yugi, how was that guy?"  
"Pretty tough, Horus. But like I said, he lacked passion. Still... winning because you have no other options is not victory at all. I still will never forget that." Yugi said.

Horus nodded, keeping on Yugi's shoulder, Yugi feeling exhausted as he walked into the door. "I'm home! And tired..." Yugi walked past his family, heading straight for his bedroom, yawning, laying out on his bed, eyes closed, Horus blinking, but smiling, just glad Yugi was safe and did his best in the last Duel. And he also knows that soon, the battles will get more intense... and that just meant trouble...

Daisuke had his eyes closed, walking, scoffing. 'Yugi Mutoh... you seem like a mockery to what I stand for.... but I assure you, on my own, I will find a way to defeat you. I will not be nearly humiliated like I was today... that I promise... I WILL defeat you, and make you see... that you are nothing compared to me.'

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	36. Chapter 36

Episode 36 - Yugi and T a! An Evening on the Town!

Yugi was sitting in class, even when it was almost time to go home, just finishing up something, as he stood up, gathered what he was working on and set it away for the teacher to collect, heading to his small locker and slipper slot to get his shoes so he could go home. As he was getting his things together, taking his slippers off and grabbing them in place of his shoes, sliding them on, Yugi heard someone speak. "Yugi?"

Yugi cried out for a minute, then turned. "Oh... T a. You scared me there! What's up?"

"Yugi... I wanted to ask if..." T a blushed slightly. "If you wanted to go out with me... today."

"S-s-s-say what-!?! You serious!?"

"Yeah... unless you don't want to, which I understand because of..."

"T a. I'd be glad to do so." Yugi smiled. "You want me to come to your place or meet you somewhere?"

Hearing Yugi's response, T a's cheeks began to redden even more as she smiled. "How about I meet you at the Game Shop? About, say... six o' clock?"

"Six o' clock it is!" Yugi smiled, getting his shoes on, then cried out for a moment. Chuckling uneasily, Yugi grabbed his backpack, waving and ran off, T a blushing, but smiling.

Much later, at his home, Yugi was whooping with joy, hopping all over his room, Horus blinking while he "sat" at the end of Yugi's bed. "Yugi, how come you're in such a good mood, buddy? You've been hopping all over the place ever since you got home from school! I'm startin' to worry, since you've been at this for hours!!"

"I'm just stoked 'cause T a asked me out on a date, Horus!" Yugi fell backwards onto his bed, just beaming. "Problem is, it's 5:05 right now!! Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man, oh, man, oh, maaaaaaaaaaaan!" Horus just stood there, sweatdropping at Yugi's attitude, sighing.

T a looked at herself in the mirror, sighing a bit. "I still wonder why I asked Yugi out... was it because I cannot have Atem anymore... or...?" she looked at the long sleeved and tailed black shirt with white buttons and collar as well as her orange skirt, which went close to her knees, her legs covered in white stockings.

'I still don't get it. When Atem had left, I.. I was hurt, but... when I saw Rebecca hug Yugi, I got jealous... and when his soul was gone... I felt such a pain in my heart... such an emptiness... Just what is wrong with me!? Who do I have actual feelings for...? The one who's been like a hero to me, but is gone... or the one who's always been there for me for the most part, but I've hardly seen the real him...?'

Yugi himself didn't look too different, examining himself. He just had on a dark blue shirt, unbuttoned slightly with a white tank top under it, and light blue jeans. "Man... i am soooo nervous!"

Taro came up to Yugi's door, knocking on it. "Hey, Yugi, you in?"  
"Yeah!"

Coming into the room, Taro blinked and said. "Well, someone is all dolled up! What the heck is goin' on, Yuge? You wouldn't need to be all dressed up. Unless... dude, no way!! T a finally aksed you out! That rocks!"

"How'd you...?! Oh, never mind." Yugi sighed, crossing his arms.

"Well, I did think she was startin' to come around after that thing with Mary, bro. I told her to be true to her feelings, and well, who knows? Even if she mighta liked Atem like that, maybe she likes you like that! This is a good sign, buddy! How fantastic! Maybe you can get an answer today!" Taro grinned.

Looking at his cousin, Yugi smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Always so optimistic, Taro. Yeah, I hope so. I mean, deep down, I just wanted to hide my feelings for T a, like I've said. Maybe there's some hope. Well..." Yugi turned, looking at the clock. "Almost six. This is the moment of truth."

Taro grinned playfully, saluting Yugi. "Best of luck to you on your date then, Captain!!"  
Yugi gave Taro a thumbs up, then headed out of the door, Sukiko blinking when she saw Yugi. "Yugi, dear, where are you going?"

"Oh! Hey, Mom! I was gonna be going on a date with T a. You, Dad, Grandpa, and Taro better not wait up for me! I'll be back when I can!" Yugi grinned, running to the steps leading downstairs to the Game Shop, grabbing his sneakers, sliding them on, tying his shoelaces, exhaling. Soon enough, he heard a knock at the door, and checked to make sure he had everything.

He walked up to the door, and looked right at T a, forgetting sometimes he and she were now the same height since his growth spurt some time ago. T a just smiled, lipstick on her lips as she said "Hey, Yugi..."  
"Hey, T a! Right on time. Whoa." Yugi blinked when he looked at her, as she smiled, tapping her black strapped shoes onto the pavement softly.

"Whaddya think? I hope it isn't too much..."

"Naw!" Yugi blushed, smiling. "It's just enough! Soooo, uh, any real ideas of what we're gonna be doing?"  
"We could just walk around Domino City. That's all Atem and I did besides the whole museum trip." T a smiled.  
Yugi nodded, walking right behind T a before standing right at her side.

The first stop, T a had wanted to browse around a CD store, Yugi looking about also, scratching his head when he gave some samples of the music a try. T a looked at him and giggled a bit. 'Just like a little kid sometimes still. But he's matured a lot more than he's realized... maybe more than all of us have realized...'

Yugi chuckled when he listened to some of the music, T a walking over to him. "Is any of it good?"  
"Yeah." Yugi smiled. "I was enjoying this stuff so far. What about you? Did you find any good ones you might want to get?"

"Not really, sadly. Besides, most of it I've had already." T a replied. Yugi slid the headphones off, setting them down as he smiled.

"We could always do something else if you want to, T a. I was tempted to go to one of the other game shops around, see if I can get some boosters. Dad said he'd just like to see if there was anything he might add for his Deck... and who knows? Maybe I'll get something to add for your Deck!"

"Alright with me." T a smiled, the two stepping out of the music store, as they began to walk again. "So, T a, I hadn't asked before, but what made you wanna get more into Duel Monsters?"

"Well, Yugi, I don't want to be just a cheerleader all my life to you and the others. When I Dueled against Crump, when we were in that virtual world Noah made, I felt a bit nervous because I lacked some skills in Dueling... part of me realized that when I was calling out for you."

"...You mean Atem..."  
"No, it was both of you I was calling to."

Yugi blinked, blushing softly, but T a smiled, both of them entering a card store, Yugi looking around, as well as T a. Yugi picked up a few booster packs, looking at them. T a walked over, blinking. "Think you got some good ones, Yugi?"  
"We'll find out." Walking to the counter, Yugi smiled, setting the packs down.

The person working the counter began to ring up the price of the boosters, smiling. "That'll be 665, please." Nodding, Yugi began to dig around in his wallet, looking at how much he had as he pulled out a 500 yen bill, then a few coins; one 100 yen coin, and a few 10 yen pieces. "OK, I got 670 there."

"Thank you very much." The courtesy clerk bowed, taking Yugi's money, then handing him a 5 yen coin. "And there you are, sir."  
"Thanks again!" Yugi smiled, walking over to T a who smiled also. "So, you hope to get anything good?"

"Who knows until I open it." Yugi took the first booster pack, sliding the second one into his pocket, opening the first booster, looking at the 9 cards he had gotten. Yugi then cried out when he saw one card, T a doing the same. "Yugi, are you OK?!"

"Yeah... I just got a nice card I could use in my Deck!" Yugi smiled, holding out the card, which had the art of what looked like a Roman Colosseum, but inside, along the arena floor was Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 and Armed Dragon LV3, about to battle one another it seemed.

LEVEL COLOSSEUM Field Magic Card Effect: When a Monster that includes "LV" in its' card name battles, if its' ATK is lower than the ATK of the Monster it battles, increase the ATK of the Monster that includes "LV" in its' card name by 1000 points during the Damage Step. Once during your Main Phase 1, you can send 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field that has "LV" in its' card name to the Graveyard. Special Summon the Monster that is written in the card text of that Monster from your hand or Deck, ignoring the Summoning conditions. The Special Summoned Monster cannot attack during this turn, and its' effects cannot be activated.

"Level Colosseum?"  
"You remember Tristan's Field Magic Card, Skyscraper? Well, this is like that, only for Level Monsters, like the ones I run in my Deck, T a. It's a handy Maigc Card! I am gonna try to fit it into my Deck Let's see...." Looking at the other cards he had, Yugi smiled. "Hey, I also think I found a nice card for you to use."

Handing a card to her, Yugi smiled, as T a blinked, looking at the card.

"She's beautiful... Etoile Cyber, eh? Let's see..."

T a began to look over the effect, smiling. "A nice effect, but why have her with me, Yugi?"

ETOILE CYBER Earth/Warrior/4/1200 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: When this card attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, the ATK of this card is increased by 600 points during the Damage Step.

When his best friend asked him that, Yugi blushed but smiled. "It's 'cause she reminds me of you! You're a dancer, so is she, and you're both pretty, so, that's why I reccomended Etoile Cyber for you, T a! Ha ha hahahahahahaha!!"

T a blushed but smiled, then, on instinct or for some reason, she nodded to herself, following up with a kiss on Yugi's cheek. 'I think I finally understand.... just a bit is all... of who I may really have had feelings for all this time... just maybe...'

Yugi blinked when T a did that, his face now completely beet red. "Uhm... how come you did that?"

"I wanted to, if you don't mind." T a smiled, taking Yugi's hand, and yanked him along, causing Yugi to cry out as he tried to walk as fast as he could to catch up with her. After he managed to, he set his cards into his pocket and said "Maybe I'll hold out on these til later. Also, I can help you expand on your Deck like you wanted me to do. I got a few other cards that are good in mind for you."

"I'd like that, Yugi." T a smiled, as the two walked side by side, looking up at the sky. "Ya know... it's amazing how close winter will be soon, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Yugi blinked.

T a just smiled. "I seem to like winter the most of all seasons, Yugi. And no, it's not because spring is close behind. But like it was said in Fruits Basket, that when snow melts, it does become spring... but I like winter because of the purity the snow brings, how it almost feels like a whole new beginning. And the snow hitting the ground just captivates me."

Yugi smiled also. "I'm glad you feel that way, T a. Myself, I feel like for me, everything's been a new beginning since Atem has been gone... like I'm living my life again as a much different person. But I'm not gonna be like Atem. He was his own person, and all I can be is myself... a better myself, but myself nonetheless." Yugi stopped for a moment, near a bridge looking over a small part of the ocean, T a standing next to him. "My other self was a good, strong person, T a, but I can't be expected to be like him.... that'd be wrong..."

"I never wanted you to be like him, Yugi." T a gently placed her left arm on Yugi's back, resting her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I never want you to be like Atem... I may have cared for him, but deep down, I've always cared for you somehow too... but I guess I never saw it until now. So please stay as yourself.... you're just fine... the way you are..."

"T a..."

As they stood there, it was just peaceful for Yugi and T a, as both felt... content. Nothing in the world could go wrong for the two... even if Card Hunters attacked them...

But luckily, nothing of the sort happened... the two just remained where they were before, heading to get something to drink. Yugi was laughing a bit, sipping his tea. "So, like I said, Taro was standing on his hands, then he falls down flat on his stomach! It was so funny!"

T a giggled a bit. "Wow! That souinds very hilarious if you ask me, Yugi!"

Yugi smiled. "Hey... T a, would you believe me if I told you I could see something beyond what anyone else could see?"

"You mean like ghosts?" T a blinked, sipping her tea.

"No, what I mean... is a Duel Monsters spirit. Ya remember Horus the Black Flame Dragon? Well, turns out, besides my dad sending all three to me... I can see him. I know it sounds loopy, but it's true."

T a smiled at Yugi, nodding. "I believe you, Yugi. After all, with what you went through, anything is possible, right? Besides...."

Horus soon enough appeared, landing right on Yugi's shoulder, transparent to anyone else as he blinked. "Uh, Yugi, do you think she realllly believes the fact you can see me?"

"I can... see you..." T a blinked in surprise, Yugi turning to Horus and smiling. "Well, I think she does now, Horus... she can see you after all."

Horus blinked in surprise. "Another one! Great! First it was Kaiba, and your cousin noticed me a bit too, and now your girlfriend notices me! This is insane! How many people are gonna be able to see me and the others!? It's just gonna be an odd experience."

"Um, is Horus always so mouthy?" T a giggled softly, but happily at how Horus was.

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, he sure can be, but he's also wise... for someone that's supposed to be my partner." Reaching up, Yugi patted Horus's head as Horus smiled, T a smiling also. 'Loses one partner.... he seems to gain another one somehow...'

After a bit of time, Yugi and T a began to walk back to Yugi's place, Yugi smiling at her. "Hey, T a, listen, about your Deck, maybe you can gimme some time, I can get access to Grandpa's cards, see if I can find good ones to help it, then play test it with you."

"That, I'd like a lot, Yugi. And I had a nice time tonight... thanks again. I guess I wanted to know something, and now I do."

Yugi smiled, Horus chuckling. "Glad to hear it."  
"Well, I'll see you about that Deck assistance, Yugi. Is it true? That Taro helped Melody?"  
"Yeah! It sure was!" Yugi grinned, as T a hugged Yugi and then waved bye, before heading off. Yugi smiled and exhaled. "Felt good for once to not have to Duel, Horus... I'm glad for it."

"Me too, bud. Just one question... WHEN THE HECK ARE YA GONNA USE ME AGAIN!?!"

"Would you relax!?" Yugi snapped. "I'll do my best to call you out next time, I promise!"

"You better, man! I'm supposed to be your partner, and yet I feel as if I get no love... N. O. L. O. V. E!"

"Quit being such a drama king!!" Yugi snapped back, the two partners starting to bicker a bit, but it wasn't the kind of harsh bickering, but more of two friends arguing over something... and that was all that was needed. Yugi laughed as did Horus, when both headed inside of the Kame Game Shop.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	37. Chapter 37

Episode 37 - The Beautiful Diva of the Stage! Cyber Blader!

Since the next day was Sunday, Yugi, Joey, T a, Tristan, Duke, Melody, and Taro were hanging around the game shop, Yugi digging through the Kame Game Shop's large collection of cards, seeing what they could use for T a's Deck. Remembering some of the things she had used before, T a gathered up also new cards with the help of her friends.

Taro scratched his head at one card he had pulled from the pile. "Blade Skater? Hey, I remember this! This card can make a Fusion with Etoile Cyber! Yuge, you said you gave that to T a last night, right?"

"Yeah! Good thinking, Taro!" Yugi grinned, handing Blade Skater to T a. "Here you go!"

"Thank you, Yugi." T a smiled.

Duke was able to find one good card and said "Hey, this one could be good! Fusion Recovery, to work with that!"

Melody giggled as she held up Cyber Blader's card. "I got Cyber Blader right here!"

"Hey, Mel... what Level IS Cyber Blader? I got Fusion Weapon here, but it's gotta be Level 6 or lower Fusion Monsters that it works for..." Joey blinked.

"It's Level 6, Joey. So that should work too." Taro added.

After more rummaging, Tristan took another card and said "Double Passe. That could work too! OK, how much more?"

"Almost done..." Yugi grinned, whipping T a's Deck, after grabbing some of the cards everyone suggested, remembering some contents T a had used before, then the new additions, Yugi then slamming the Deck down. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a completed Deck!"

T a smiled. "Wonderful! Now all I need is a Duel Disk to use!"  
"You can borrow mine, so we can see how this Deck works! But, um... who is gonna get to Duel T a?" Taro smiled, then blinked.  
"I'll do it. I already said I'd do it, so I'm gonna do it." Yugi smiled, standing up.

"Yugi..."  
"You don't mind, do you?"  
T a smiled, taking her Deck and nodding. "Alright. Let's get that all set up." 'Oh, great... Dueling Yugi... I'm screwed... I can just tell!'

Once outside, Joey, Taro, Duke, Tristan, and Melody were all sitting down, as Duke said "Can you guys say utter mismatch? Yugi's the friggin' Duel King, and not to mention, the one who beat all 3 God Cards and T a... well..."

Melody looked at Duke and huffed. "Duke-kun, how can you say that about T a-chan!? She'll do just fine! After all, I did alright in my first Duel with Taro!"

Taro nodded. "Yeah, and Yugi's, like, better than me to the tenth power, so T a should do well... as long as she remembers the rules and such."

T a looked over and said "Hey, Taro, I've seen Yugi and Joey do this a thousand times or so. I can handle it. Yugi! You ready?"  
"Yeah!" Yugi smiled, both he and T a getting their Duel Disks into the ready positions, both smiling as they said "Duel!"

Yugi LP - 4000 T a LP - 4000

Both Duelists drew their first five cards, as T a smiled. "You know what they say. Ladies first! Draw!" Looking over her hand, T a had to think of the best method of attack. Taking one card from her hand, T a smiled and said "I play Spirit of the Breeze in Defense Mode!"

Appearing in a gust of wind, kneeling down, was a beautiful elven-esque girl with light green skin, a light yellow dress, light blue hair, as well as similiar colored lips, and two small wings, her arms crossed over her body, her eyes closed as she smiled.

SPIRIT OF THE BREEZE Wind/Angel/3/0 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains on the Field in face-up Attack Mode, you gain 1000 Life Points during each of your Standby Phases.

"Next, I'll set a card face-down. Turn end!" T a smiled.

"My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi looked at the six cards in his hand. "I'll start by playing the Magic Card, Brain Control! At the cost of 800 Life Points..." Yugi smiled softly, his Life Point counter rolling from 4000 to 3200. "I can take control of 1 face-up Monster on my opponent's side of the Field! So that means I get control of Spirit of the Breeze!"

In a flash of light, Spirit of the Breeze appeared on Yugi's side of the Field. T a smiled and said "It's not that simple, even if you do plan to Sacrifice for another Monster! Trap Card, activate! Hallowed Life Barrier!"

HALLOWED LIFE BARRIER Normal Trap Card Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand. During this turn, any damage you take from your opponent becomes 0.

"When Hallowed Life barrier is activated, I discard 1 card from my hand, and all damage my opponent does is dropped to 0 during this turn." Taking a card from her hand, T a slid it into her Graveyard slot.

Yugi smiled and said "Well, I'll still at least get ready! I Sacrifice Spirit of the Breeze and summon Curse of Dragon in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, in place of Spirit of the Breeze appeared a yellow dragon with a long tail, as well as long wings, but none as long as its' tail, as it also had a horn on its' face, as well as spikes protruding from its' stomach and at the back, near the tails as it roared, its' red eyes glowing red.

Curse of Dragon ATK - 2000

"Turn end." Yugi smiled.  
"My turn! Draw!" T a drew her next card, looking at her hand and took one Monster, setting it face-down horizontally on her Duel Disk. "I'll set a Monster face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, and said "Next, I play Silver Fang in Attack Mode!" In a flash of light, a beautiful silver wolf with yellow eyes appeared on Yugi's side of the Field next to Curse of Dragon, howling, then snarling.

SILVER FANG Earth/Beast/3/1200 ATK/800 DEF

"Silver Fang, attack her set Monster!" Yugi cried out. Silver Fang howled, charging forward, its' four paws padding the ground. With a push of its' paws, Silver Fang leapt into the air, then slashed across T a's set Monster, revealing Skelengel. T a smiled and said "Now I can activate Skelengel's Flip Effect, allowing me to draw 1 card!" Drawing her next card, T a had 4 cards in her hand.

"But your Life Points are still open! Curse of Dragon, attack T a directly!" Curse of Dragon's mouth began to ignite with a golden flame. "Dragon Flame!" The heated flames spiralled out from Curse of Dragon's mouth, smashing T a, causing her to cry out, falling backwards, coughing softly.

T a's Life Points = 4000 - 2000 = 2000

"Next, I'll set a card face-down. Turn end!" Yugi added.  
Standing up, T a shook herself off. "Whoo! That was a good move, even if it hurt... OK, my turn! Draw!" Smiling a chipper smile, despite the fact her Life Points were half their original value.

"Now I'll set 2 cards face-down..." T a smiled, now having 3 cards in her hand. Looking at her 3 other cards, she took a card from there and showed it to Yugi. "Magic Card activate! Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, T a smiled, getting Etoile Cyber, the card Yugi had given her. She also had another card set and said "Now I play Etoile Cyber in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a beautiful woman with long brunette hair spiralled in front of T a, arms at her sides. Along her hips was what appeared to be a halved tutu, and around her arms, white sashes, spiralling around the wrists. Her hands and the sides of her torso were covered in read, the rest, including her face, were of a light blue-ish white, as well as 2 metal buckles on the sides, above the halved tutu, and her legs, save for her mid section in red, with yellow arrowhead-like shapes above the knees, and a red sash around her left eye, and a golden neck brace of sorts.

Taking another card, T a exhaled and said "Now I'll set one other card face-down. Turn end!"

Etoile Cyber ATK - 1200

'I wonder what her set card is. OK, I'll take a chance!' Yugi smiled. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi nodded. "Curse of Dragon, attack Etoile Cyber! Dragon Flame!" Curse of Dragon shot its' Dragon Flame attack outward at Etoile Cyber, but T a smiled and said "Time to take a page from your book, Yugi! Trap Card, activate! Draining Shield!"

Suddenly, a green barrier appeared, blocking Curse of Dragon's attack, and raising T a's Life Points by 2000 points to 4000 once again. "As you know, when Draining Shield is activated, it negates the attack of 1 Monster and raises my Life Points by that Monster's attack points. So now I'm completely refreshed."

"Even if this is a big mistake on my part to suicide a Monster, but... Silver Fang, attack Etoile Cyber!" Silver Fang charged, leaping up into the air as T a smiled. "Trap Card, activate! Double Pass !" Silver Fang suddenly was jerked past Etoile Cyber, then slashed across T a, who groaned a bit, her Life Points rolling down from 4000 to 2800.

"Huh?!" Everyone all said, Yugi blinking.  
"Double Pass . Whenever a Monster of mine is an attack target of one of your Monsters, I can redirect that attack from my Monster to my own Life Points. Then, the Monster attacked will strike back at my opponent's Life Points. So, I will let Etoile Cyber attack you directly! And with that, her effect kicks in!" T a smiled.

DOBLE PASSE Normal Trap Card Effect: Activate this card when your opponent attacks a Monster on your side of the Field. You can allow that attack to be a direct attack. Afterwards, the attacked Monster can attack your opponent's Life Points directly.

Etoile Cyber spiralled forward, right at Yugi as Joey said "Oh, crap! Etoile Cyber's ATK is gonna be 1800 if she hits Yugi with Double Pass 's effect!"

"She had that all set up from the moment she had Double Pass set! You go, girl!" Melody smiled.

Etoile Cyber pulled her leg back then kicked Yugi in the jaw, knocking him to the ground, dropping his Life Points from 3200 to 1400 in one shot. T a smiled and said "Next up, I'll activate my set Trap Card, Jar of Greed, to make up for me haivng to set another card. With Jar of Greed, I get to draw 1 card from my Deck." Pulling a card from the top of her Deck, T a looked at it, smiling.

JAR OF GREED Normal Trap Card Effect: Draw 1 card from your Deck.

"Alright." Yugi smiled. "Turn end!" Keeping his set card just a set card.

"My turn! Draw!" T a smiled, getting Polymerization! She also had Blade Skater in her hand and said "Here I go! I summon Blade Skater in Attack Mode!"

Skating across the field appeared a woman right next to Etoile Cyber. This woman had two skates on her feet, and also blades attached to her wrists, a halved tutu much like Etoile Cyber along her hips, a golden yellow line along her stomach, as well as a golden hoop earring in her left ear. Blade Skater's body was white and purple, with white along the top of her head, along her left hand, her upper left arm, chest, stomach, lower body, upper left led, middle right leh, and left foot, and part of the left side of her face, purple everywhere else.

BLADE SKATER Earth/Warrior/4/1400 ATK/1500 DEF

"Now I play the Magic Card, Polymerization! Etoile Cyber, Blade Skater, Fuse!" Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater leapt into the air, resting back to back, spiralling. In a flash of light, in their place came a lovely diva, with red lips, a red visor over her eyes, flames along her chest and upper arms, as well as covering her legs, except for the knees. Her hands and feet were purple, while the rest of her body was a whitish-purple, and her raven black hair blowing in the breeze. This was T a's diva of the stage; Cyber Blader!

CYBER BLADER Earth/Warrior-Fusion/6/2100 ATK/800 DEF "Etoile Cyber" + "Blade Skater"  
Effect: A Fusion Summon of this card can only be conducted with the above Fusion Material Monsters. If your opponent has exactly 1 Monster on his/her side of the Field, this Monster cannot be destroyed as a result of Battle. If your opponent has exactly 2 Monsters on his/her side of the Field, double the ATK of this Monster. If your opponent has exactly 3 Monsters on his/her side of the Field, negate the effects of all Magic, Trap, and Effect Monster Cards controlled by your opponent.

"Cyber Blader..." Taro blinked. "Whoa."  
"And T a also gets one of her effects if I remember correctly." Duke added, rubbing his chin softly.  
"I remember hearing that too..." Tristan added. "She gets effects for the number of Monsters her controller's opponent has..."

"Yeah!" Melody nodded. "I read her card. If it's 1, she can't be destroyed in battle. If it's 2, her ATK is doubled, if it's 3, then she negates her opponent's Monster, Magic, and Trap Cards' effects..."

"That's right, guys, and that means Cyber Blader's ATK is now 4200 since Yugi has Curse of Dragon and Silver Fang on the Field! That means if I attack, it's all over." T a smiled. Cyber Blader's body began to glow a light purple, her ATK going up from 2100 to 4200.

"Cyber Blader, attack Silver Fang!" Cyber Blader slid across the ground, everyone looking on, Yugi slashing the air with his hand. "Counter Trap Card, open! Negate Attack!!"  
Suddenly, before Cyber Blader could kick, a barrier knocked her back to T a's side of the Field.

"Negate Attack not only negates the attack of one of my opponent's Monsters, it also ends the Battle Phase outright." Yugi smiled. "Sorry, T a, but I'm not gonna make it that easy for you so soon."

"Aw, well!" T a smiled. "Turn end!"  
"My turn. Draw!" Yugi looked and smiled. "Now I play my own Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, Yugi took another one and said "I will next Sacrifice Silver Fang and Curse of Dragon for something now! Come out, Dark Magician of Chaos!"

In place of Curse of Dragon and Silver Fang stood a man in black leather, with light pink rings around the upper area of his blackish blue leather clothes, black straps with pink buckles, 3 on each wrist, as well as 4 pink knuckle coveres on the hands, a 2 horn-curved style headress with a green gem in the center with pink around it, as well as pink marks around the headdress, as he held a staff of black and light pink in his hand, with a green gem at the end of it, his face light blue with black hair down near his back, yellow-irised eyes with red pupils, and black marks down under his eyes.

DARK MAGICIAN OF CHAOS Dark/Spellcaster/8/2800 ATK/2600 DEF Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned successfully, you can add 1 Magic Card from your Graveyard to your hand. A Monster that is destroyed by this Monster as a result of Battle is removed from play instead of going to the Graveyard. When this card is destroyed or removed from the Field, it is removed from play.

"When Dark Magician of Chaos is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can use his first effect to add 1 Magic Card from my Graveyard to my hand! So now I get Pot of Greed back!" Yugi grabbed Pot of Greed as it slid out of his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, now Yugi having 6 cards in his hand.

"I won't reactivate Pot of Greed now, but I know with the effect of Cyber Blader, her ATK is now back to 2100, but she can't be destroyed in battle since I have exactly one Monster on my side of the Field. But that still doesn't mean I can't hurt your Life Points! Dark Magician of Chaos, attack Cyber Blader!"

Dark Magician of Chaos cried out, leaping into the air, pulling his staff back behind him, his staff beginning to produce a green spark.

"Incantation of Destruction - DEATH ULTIMA!" Yugi cried out the name of Dark Magician of Chaos's attack as Dark Magician of Chaos fired, blasting Cyber Blader, who cried out, T a crying out from the sparks as they traveled across the ground to shock her, dropping her LP from 2800 to 2100.

"Turn end!" Yugi added, exhaling.  
"My turn! Draw!" T a drew her next card and smiled as she said "Yugi, this is going to hurt a lot! I play the Equip Magic Card, Fusion Weapon!"

'Uh-oh!' Yugi thought, a spark of energy cracking around Cyber Blader's left arm, Fusion Weapon appearing right on her left arm, sparking brightly, as her body began to also glow, a sign of Fusion Weapon's effect kicking in.

Cyber Blader's ATK/DEF - 2100/800 + 1500 = 3600/2300

"Now, Cyber Blader is 800 points stronger than Dark Magician of Chaos! Cyber Blader, attack Dark Magician of Chaos!" Cyber Blader placed her right hand on her left wrist, Fusion Weapon sparking brightly, then shot a green blast of light right at Dark Magician of Chaos, blowing him away as he screamed out.

Yugi cried out also, his Life Points rolling to 600 points, panting. "And since Dark Magician of Chaos has been destroyed or removed from the Field, he's removed from play..."

"Well, Yugi. It looks like I may win this practice Duel. Turn end!" T a smiled sweetly. Yugi stood up slowly. "My turn. Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking to see he had drawn Zaborg the Thunder Monarch! But he had no Monsters on the Field to use his effect. But he then remembered... he had Pot of Greed! Maybe he'd get lucky and get a card he needed. He nodded and took Pot of Greed, showing it to T a.

"I will now activate Pot of Greed! With it, I draw 2 cards!" Yugi drew his two cards and smiled as he said "And look what I drew!" Yugi held up Watapon's card, smiling. "When I get Watapon from my hand by the effect of a Monster, Magic, or Trap Card, it can be Special Summoned!"

Appearing on the Field, Watapon smiled, letting out a cute chirp of "Watapon!" as it appeared in front of Yugi, in Attack Mode.

Watapon ATK - 200

"But Watapon has an ATK of 200... could that mean you're gonna use it as a Sacrifice!"  
"Yep!" Yugi smiled. "I now Sacrifice Watapon..." In a flash of light, Watapon disappeared, as Yugi held up his next card. "And I Sacrifice Summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!"

Crashes of thunder echoed from the sky, as Yugi slapped Zaborg's card onto his Duel Disk. Crashes of thunder exploded loudly as Zaborg appeared on the Field, roaring, his fists clenched, in Attack Mode, thunder sparking around his body.

Zaborg ATK - 2400

"Now I will activate Zaborg's Trigger Effect! Since I successfully Sacrifice Summoned Zaborg the Thunder Monarch, he can destroy one Monster on the Field, T a. My target of choice is Cyber Blader! Zaborg, use your effect! Sparkling Bolt!"

Zaborg raised his right hand up, a blast of thunder smashing down on Cyber Blader, destroying her, and leaving T a wide open. "Now, Zaborg, attack her Life Points directly! Imperial Thunder!" Zaborg pulled his hands back, lightning and thunder sparking around them as he pushed the newly formed ball forward, blasting T a who cried out, but smiled.

T a LP - 0

"Aw, well... I may have lost, but that was still very fun! Thanks again, Yugi... this new Deck seems to be that much stronger."

"It's not just the Deck that's strong, T a." Yugi smiled. "You are, and always have been. I overheard you, when you told Atem you didn't get why he wanted to Duel against Kaiba, after what Marik did to Joey... you were concerned, and that was your great strength. Your kindness and concern for your friends. So, thank you... for that, and for the great Duel!"

T a smiled, blushing a bit, while Yugi grinned, everyone clapping their hands as both Yugi and T a took a bow, smiles on their faces. T a looked at Yugi, smiling. 'It's like you know what it means deep down to be a True Duelist in your own heart, Yugi. Well, I'll do my best to live up to that same feeling...'

T a just exhaled, but smiled, looking at the Duel Disk on her arm, pulling her Deck out as she set it down, and then unstrapped the Duel Disk, giving it to Taro, smiling again as she looked at Yugi, who was still grinning, a joyous grin on his face. She knew she would have to work hard to be a True Duelist like how Yugi felt one was... and she hoped someday to be as strong of one as he was.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	38. Chapter 38

Episode 38 - The Battle for Bakura's Father! Rumiko vs. Sarah

Rumiko looked at the cards from her Deck, and once she was done, she exhaled, then placed her Deck into her Deck holder attached to her belt, and grabbed her Duel Disk. 'This has to be done! I won't let Ryo-kun suffer anymore. I can do this... I know I can. I got the Deck my big brother heped me build and my spirit. I will not fail that easily.'

And with that, she was off towards Sarah's office, a serious look on her face. And with that, she just entered the room without knocking. "Ms. Sarah!"

Sarah looked over at Rumiko, blinking. "Rumiko? What is this? You do not even have the common courtesy to knock?"  
"It's simple. I'm here to Duel you! Get everyone else to watch if you want, I don't care, all I want to do is beat you! If I do win, you let Ryo-kun's father go! If you win, who knows? But you can do what you want... it seems like a fair trade to me. What do you think?"

"Very well." Sarah stood up, eyes closed, standing up, tapping a button on her desk, as something opened up, grabbing a suitcase, pulling it out, smiling as she set it down, beginning to open it. "I haven't had much time to pull my Deck out recently... but I look forward to seeing how you do against me..."

After a bit of time, Rumiko was shuffling her Deck, eyes closed, exhaling as Sarah had her Deck and Duel Disk all set up, everyone of the Card Hunters looking on, Senbei resting his arms on the guard rail, looking serious and determined. Walking up to him was Zeke, hands behind his head, exhaling. "Man, I can't believe your sis went and challenged Sarah to a Duel!"

"Me either, Zeke... something doesn't seem right... why would Sarah except a Duel like this? We've only heard of how she Duels, and now this..."

Bakura looked on also, quiet though, a sad look on his face, as Rumiko raised her arm, her Duel Disk locking into the ready position. Sarah smiled, her arm doing the same as she and Rumiko both drew 5 cards at the same time, crying out as one. "Duel!"

Rumiko smiled and said "I'll go first if you don't mind. My first turn is up!" Drawing her sixth card, Rumiko looked at her hand and smiled. 'Wow. I didn't think you all would be here! Time to really show my stuff! I'll beat you, Ms. Ashcroft, then you're gonna let Ryo-kun's dad go.'

"I Normal Summon Don Zaloog in Attack Mode!" In front of Rumiko appeared a dark greyish haired man, with an eyepatch over his left eye, a dark brown shirt with no sleeves, a black scorpion tattoo on his upper left arm, black orbs on his shirt, as well as red and brown armbands, red pants, black boots, and 2 holsters with revolvers in them.

DON ZALOOG Dark/Warrior/4/1400 ATK/1500 Effect: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you can select and activate 1 of the following effects;  
-Select 1 card from your opponent's hand randomly and discard it to the Graveyard.  
-Send 2 cards from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

"Next up, I'll play Pot of Greed! And with it, draw 2 more cards!" Drawing 2 cards, Rumiko now had 6 cards in hand, smiling at having the second card she needed for her tactic to set up right. She grinned and raised up another Magic Card. "And for my next move, I play Mustering of the Dark Scorpions! This Magic Card can only be activated if Don Zaloog is on my side of the Field, and he then Special Summons his compatriots, the rest of the Dark Scorpion Graverobbers! Time to meet the whole gang!"

MUSTERING OF THE DARK SCORPIONS Normal Magic Card Effect: You can only activate this card when you have "Don Zaloog" face-up on your side of the Field. You can Special Summon any of the cards from your hand that include "Dark Scorpion" in their card name, or are named "Cliff the Trap Remover". You cannot Special Summon 2 cards with the same card name by the effect of this card.

"Come out! Dark Scorpion Graverobbers!" Taking 4 more cards from her hand, Rumiko slapped them all onto her Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. All of the other Dark Scorpions were in similiar attire to Don Zaloog, only their appearances were different. "First, we have Cliff, the Trap Remover!"

Pulling a knife out, Cliff grinned, pushing his glasses with his free hand as his messy brown hair just blew in the wind when he landed down next to Don Zaloog.

CLIFF THE TRAP REMOVER Dark/Warrior/3/1200 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you can select and activate 1 of the following effects;  
-Destroy 1 Magic Card or Trap Card on the Field.  
-Send 2 cards from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

"Next up, Chick the Yellow!"

Rolling down onto the ground in a flip came a young boy, with blonde hair that stood up as well as a red bandana around his forehead, a wooden, heavy mallet near his back as he hopped up and down, whooping with joy as he then landed down, chuckling.

DARK SCORPION - CHICK THE YELLOW Dark/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you can select and activate 1 of the following effects;  
-Return 1 card on the Field to its' owner's hand.  
-See 1 card on the top of your opponent's Deck. Your opponent does not see the card. Then return it to the top or bottom of your opponent's Deck.

"After Chick, the only female of the Dark Scorpions, Meanae the Thorn!"

Meanae spiralled down to the ground, a thorn whip wrapping around her, but never grazing her body once, as she smiled, her dark brown hair resting near her back, a red ascot around her neck as she also had blood red lipstick on, winking as she cracked her whip, landing down with her fellow Dark Scorpions.

DARK SCORPION - MEANAE THE THORN Dark/Warrior/4/1000 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you can select and activate 1 of the following effects;  
-Select 1 card that includes "Dark Scorpion" in its' card name, or is named "Cliff the Trap Remover", from your Deck and add it to your hand.  
-Select 1 card that includes "Dark Scorpion" in its' card name, or is named "Cliff the Trap Remover", from your Graveyard and add it to your hand.

"And last, but certainly not least, the strong man, Gorg the Strong!!" Rumiko cried out.

Gorg slammed down onto the ground, slamming his large, closed hands against one another, his muscles tightening as he then grabbed a mace-like hammer, his eyes closed, a scar along his left eye.

DARK SCORPION - GORG THE STRONG Dark/Warrior/5/1800 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points, you can select and activate 1 of the following effects;  
-Return 1 Monster Card on your opponent's side of the Field to the top of its' owner's Deck.  
-Send 1 card from the top of your opponent's Deck to the Graveyard.

"They are the Dark Scorpion Graveobbrers!" Rumiko smiled. "This is my Dark Scorpion combination pattern! Something my Deck is really best at! But now I only have 1 card in my hand, and sadly, they can't use their effects, so I play my only remaining card, Coins from Heaven, and draw 6 new cards, while you draw 1!"

Drawing 6 cards, Sarah drawing 1, Rumiko looked at her hand, and smiled, taking three cards from her hand, sliding them into her Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone. "Now I set 3 cards face-down. And I end my turn!"  
"Whoa..." Uniqua gasped. "I didn't think Rumiko would get the chance to get a full Field of Monsters in one turn..."  
Senbei smiled. "She has good Deck construction, thanks to my assistance. But it's all Rumiko's heart in this Deck. She was ready for this, and had prepared herself very well... now we just need to see what Sarah has, and if Rumiko's careful planning was enough to be ready."

"My turn. Draw." Sarah drew her seventh card, examining her hand carefully, smiling, then took a card and held it forward. "Now I play the Magic Card, Dark World Lightning.. This Magic Card allows me to destroy 1 face-down card on your side of the Field, then when that effect is resolved, I must discard a card to the Graveyard." Suddenly a blast of thunder crashed onto the Field, destroying Rumiko's Statue of the Wicked, but because she had a full field, she couldn't Special Summon the Wicked Token... but she at least had led Sarah to make an interesting move. Sarah took one card from her hand and slid it into her Duel Disk's Graveyard slot.

DARK WORLD LIGHTNING Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 1 face-down card on the Field and destroy it. After this effect is resolved, discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard.

"But now you get to meet one of the denizens of the Dark World. Come forth! Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World!"

BEIIGE, VANGUARD OF DARK WORLD Dark/Fiend/4/1600 ATK/1300 DEF Effect: When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard, Special Summon this card to your side of the Field.

Appearing in a blast of purple thunder was a blue skinned demonic figure with a grinning smirk, a spear in both hands, made of white bone, much like his chest armor, shoulder armor, waist area armor, helmet, and leg armor were made of.

"Wh-what the-? How could that Monster be Special Summoned?" Rumiko blinked.

"The Dark World has several Monsters whose effects activate when they are discarded. Beige is one of those Monsters. When he was discarded after I resolved the effect of Dark World Lightning, he was Special Summoned because his Trigger Effect began. Now... since I've got fodder, I'll use it! I Sacrifice Beiige now!"

In a flash of light, Beiige disappeared just as fast as he had shown up, and Sarah slapped another Monster in its' place. "I summon Saint Knight Ishzark in Attack Mode!"

In place of Beige appeared a white armored warrior with a sword of glowing light, with blue on underneath his armor, covering his chest, legs, and arms as he appeared very saintly so to speak.

SAINT KNIGHT ISHZARK Light/Warrior/6/2300 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: Any Monster that this card destroys as a result of battle is removed from play instead of sent to the Graveyard.

"Ishzark's effect is one that is very suited for my Divine Justice Deck, Rumiko. When he destroys a Monster in battle, instead of going to the Graveyard, the destroyed Monster is removed from play... so I think I'll demonstrate! Ishzark! Attack Chick the Yellow!"

Ishzark disappeared in a flash of light, appearing in the air above Chick, coming down with a fierce battle cry, his sword slashing down, but Rumiko smiled, slashing her arm across the air. "Counter Trap Card, open! Negate Attack!" Ishzark's sword then stopped in front of Chick, who was cowering then blinked rapidly when Ishzark reappeared on Sarah's side of the Field.

"Very well. Turn end." Sarah replied, now having 4 cards left in her hand.

"My turn! Draw!" Rumiko smiled, drawing her fourth card. "Now I play another Trap Card! This one is best for my turn! Dark Scorpion Combination!" Chick blinked when he saw the card reveal itself, then he leapt onto Gorg's shoulder.

DARK SCORPION COMBINATION Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card when you have "Don Zaloog", "Cliff the Trap Remover", "Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow", "Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong", and "Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn" face-up on your side of the Field. During the turn this card is activated, any of these 5 cards can attack your opponent's Life Points directly. In that case, the Battle Damage inflicted by each of those cards that attack your opponent's Life Points directly becomes 400 points.

"Dark Scorpion Combination needs the 5 Dark Scorpions on my side of the Field to be activated first of all. Then all of them can attack your Life Points directly, but the Battle Damage they'll inflict is 400 points each. But here we go! Dark Scorpions! Attack her Life Points directly!"

"You heard her!" Don Zaloog said, pulling out his two revolvers, Chick grabbing his mallet, spinning it in his hands as he struck a stance on Gorg's shoulder, Gorg gripping his mace, Meanae cracking her whip, and Cliff holding up his knife!

All 5 charged, dashing past Ishzark as Don Zaloog aimed his guns at Sarah, pulling the triggers as he cried out the name of his attack. "DOUBLE REVOLVER!!"

Meanae spiralled right behind Don Zaloog, slashing the air with her whip. "Thorn Whip!!"

Gorg stampeded across the Field, Chick leaping off his shoulder as he came down at Sarah with his mallet. "Limit-Reaching Vigor!!", his mallet coming down at Sarah. Gorg twisted his mace and cried out his attack's name. "Herculean Hammer!"

And lastly, Cliff appeared behind Sarah and stabbed into her, whispering against her ear. "And for the finishing touch... Trap Knife, love."

Sarah cried out, panting as her Life Points rolled from 4000 to 2000 in just one turn! She gritted her teeth, looking over at Rumiko as Rumiko smiled. "Now, the Dark Scorpions' effects will kick into play. First, Don Zaloog. I can choose one of two effects; to randomly discard 1 card from your hand, or to send the top two cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. Let's go with number 2!"

Sarah gritted her teeth more, sliding off the top two cards of her Deck, showing them to Sarah. The first one was Shining Abyss, a Level 4 Fairy-Type Monster with 1600 ATK and 1800 DEF, the other was Magic Jammer, Sarah sliding both into her Duel Disk's Graveyard slot.

"Next up will be Cliff's effect. He can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field, or he can send two cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard. So I'll do that again."

Sarah picked up the two cards from the top of her Deck, showing D.D.M. - Different Dimension Master and Chaos End, sliding them into her Graveyard slot. 'This girl... is this the true extent of her Deck Destruction skills?!'

"Next is Chick! The squirt can return 1 card on your side of the Field to your hand, or I can do this. I'll look at the top card of your Deck and then see if I want to put it on the bottom or top of your Deck. But you can't see it."

In a flash, the top card of Sarah's Deck revealed itself, as Rumiko blinked to see it was... Shinato, King of a Higher Plane, one of the strongest Monsters of the Fairy, or Angel, Type of Monsters. Rumiko still stood there in shock at this rare card's presence.

SHINATO, KING OF A HIGHER PLANE Light/Fairy-Ritual/8/3300 ATK/3000 DEF Effect: This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Magic Card, "Shinato's Ark". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Levels equal 8 or more from the Field or your hand. When this card destroys a Defense Mode Monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, inflict damage to your opponent's life Points equal to the original ATK of the destroyed Monster.

"Man! Shinato!" Uniqua blinked as she stood next to her boyfriend, Zeke. "I didn't think Sarah had such a powerful card in her Deck."

"Leave it to her to have the most powerful cards so to speak, amiga." Jorg replied, sighing. "And Rumiko hurt her badly, so she can't be too happy."

"Yeah." Senbei replied. Bakura looked on quietly, just looking on.

Zeke whistled. "Knowing how loaded Sarah is, she musta spent quite a bit of money getting all of the cards we've seen in the Vault..."

"OK... it goes to the bottom of your Deck." In a flash, Shinato disappeared to the bottom of Sarah's Deck, Rumiko exhaling. "Next up is Gorg's effect. He can return 1 Monster on your side of the Field to the top of your Deck, or he can send the top card from your Deck to your Graveyard. I'll return Ishzark from your side of the Field to your Deck!"

In a flash, Ishzark was gone, leaving Sarah defenseless. "And finally, Meanae's effect. I can return either 1 card that includes Dark Scorpion in its' card name from my Deck or my Graveyard to my hand. I'll choose the latter, and add back... Dark Scorpion Combination!" Sliding out of her Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, Rumiko grabbed Dark Scorpion Combination and smiled, and then said "Next, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Sarah drew her next card, getting Saint Knight Ishzark. She examined all other cards in her hand and nodded as she held up her own copy of Pot of greed. "Now I play Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Sarah smiled as she said "Now I play Harpie's Feather Duster! This Magic Card destroys all Magic and Trap Cards on your side of the Field!"

In a blast, a wind spiralled towards Rumiko's cards, but Rumiko closed her eyes and said "Trap Card, open! Dark Scorpion Retreat!!! This Trap Card allows me to return my Dark Scorpions to my hand, safe and sound." In a flash, all 5 members of the Dark Scorpions disappeared, reappearing in Rumiko's hand as she let out a sigh of relief, as Harpie's Feather Duster destroyed her set Dark Scorpion Combination.

DARK SCORPION RETREAT!  
Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card when you have "Don Zaloog", "Cliff the Trap Remover", "Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow", "Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong", and "Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn" face-up on your side of the Field. Return "Don Zaloog", "Cliff the Trap Remover", "Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow", "Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong", and "Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn" to their owner's hand. You cannot return 2 cards with the same card name by the effect of this card.

"Now I play Bazoo the Soul-Eater in Attack Mode!" Sarah smiled, a purple mandrill appearing on the Field, white fur on its' chest, grey horns as well as on the sides of its' head and yellow fur rising out of its' sides as it hooted.

BAZOO THE SOUL-EATER Earth/Beast/4/1600 ATK/900 DEF Effect: You can remove from play up to 3 Monster Cards in your Graveyard to increase the ATK of this Monster by 300 points for each card removed from play, until the end of your opponent's next turn. This effect can only be used once during your turn.

"Now I play the Magic Card, Soul Absorption! As long as this Permanent Magic Card is on the Field, I gain 500 Life Points each time a card is removed from play! Which I intend to do..."

SOUL ABSORPTION Permanent Magic Card Effect: Each time a card is removed from play, the controller of this card increases his/her Life Points by 500 points.

"Following that, I remove 3 Monsters in my Graveyard from play to activate Bazoo's effect! Different Dimension Master, Shining Abyss, and Beige!"

All 3 of Sarah's Monsters slid out of her Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, as Bazoo opened its' mouth, the souls of its' comrades shot out into its' mouth, as it swallowed, Sarah gaining 1500 Life Points, raising up to 3500. And then Bazoo's ATK increased from 1600 to 2400 points.

"Bazoo! Attack Rumiko's Life Points directly!" Sarah called out. Bazoo opened its' mouth, a beam of light channeling in its' mouth as it shot a blast forward, smashing Rumiko who cried out, her Life Points going from 4000 to 1600.

"Why go so far to do that?" Sarah scoffed.  
"I wouldn't want to have them hurt, even if I got more than 1 copy of the Dark Scorpions. I don't want to see them destroyed.":

"Feh. Such weak sentiment. I end my turn." Sarah smirked.

"My turn. Draw!" Rumiko drew her next card, and got Morphing Jar. She exhaled and said "I'll set a Monster face-down. Turn end."

With that, Bazoo the Soul-Eater's ATK rolled down again to 1600 as Sarah smiled. "Bazoo's effect only lasts until the end of your turn, so now, he returns to 1600, and I have no Monsters to remove from play. My turn! Draw!" Sarah smiled, as she drew her next card, adding it to her hand. "But I will attack! Bazoo! Attack her set Monster! Soul Blaze!" Bazoo's mouth began to glow again, the same light from when she attacked with it earlier, firing and slipping Rumiko's set Monster, Morphing Jar. Morphing Jar was encased in a light blue jar as it slid out, crying out, its' yellow teeth bare, and its' eye glowing before it exploded.

MORPHING JAR Earth/Rock/2/700 ATK/600 DEF Effect: Flip: Both you and your opponent discard all cards in your hands to the Graveyard then draw 5 cards from your respective Decks.

"Now I activate Morphing Jar's Flip Effect! Both of us discard our entire hand, and then we draw 5 new cards!" Rumiko smiled, sliding away her cards, as Sarah did the same, both drawing 5 new cards. Sarah then began to chuckle, turning it into laughter.

"Wh-what's so funny?" Rumiko blinked. "Why are you laughing?"

"Your tactic of using discarding cards from the hand, girl. My Divine Justice Deck can handle it with the Dark World cards that I use. In fact... I had 2 when you used the effect of Morphing Jar. The two are interesting ineed. First off is Broww, Huntsman of Dark World. When he is discarded from my hand, I can draw 1 card from my Deck, but if it's by an opponent's card effect, I can draw 1 more additional card."

BROWW, HUNTSMAN OF DARK WORLD Dark/Fiend/3/1400 ATK/800 DEF Effect: When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard, draw 1 card from your Deck. When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard by an effect of a card controlled by your opponent, draw 1 additional card.

Sarah drew 1 card, raising her hand to six, then she drew another card, then got a seventh card. "And next, I get to Special Summon the next of the Dark World's denizens!! Come forth! Sillva, Warlord of Dark World!"

SILLVA, WARLORD OF DARK WORLD Dark/Fiend/5/2300 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard, Special Summon this card to your side of the Field. When this card is discarded from your hand to the Graveyard by an effect of a card controlled by your opponent, your opponent must select 2 cards in his/her hand and place them at the bottom of his/her Deck in any order.

In a flash of light, a demonic figure arose, roaring loudly as black wings spreaded out, its' body black mostly, with silver along its' chest, its' upper area, the blades along the edges of its' hands as well as along its' muscles, elbows, and lower body and legs, as well as its' skeleton-like face as it roared.

"Now, with Sillva's effect, since he was Special Summoned by being discarded by Morphing Jar's effect, Rumiko, he can force you to select 2 cards from your hand and send them to the bottom of your Deck in any order."

Rumiko nodded, looking at her cards as she then took two of them, sliding them to the bottom of her Deck. Looking on at her, Sarah smiled and said "Too bad that I will end my Battle Phase now. But I want to see you struggle... knowing you cannot win. Now I can make a Normal Summon too. And I Normal Summon Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands."

Appearing on Sarah's side of the Field, a silver statue came forth, with thousands of hands and arms appearing, 5 red eyes, 1 on the middle of its' forehead and at the sides of its' temples, as it groaned.

MANJU OF THE TEN-THOUSAND HANDS Light/Fairy/4/1400 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, you can select 1 Ritual Monster Card or 1 Ritual Magic Card from your Deck and add it to your hand.

"When Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands is Normal Summoned or Flip Summoned, I can add 1 Ritual Monster or 1 Ritual Magic Card from my Deck to my hand. Since I have a Ritual Magic Card, I choose... Ritual Monster!" Sarah pulled her Deck out, and grabbed Shinato, King of a Higher Plane from the bottom of her Deck, adding it to her hand.

SHINATO'S ARK Ritual Magic Card Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Shinato, King of a Higher Plane". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Levels equal 8 or more from the Field or your hand.

"And now I play the Magic Card! Shinato's Ark!" Sarah raised up her Ritual Magic Card, and right behind her, appeared a giant ark, with a stone tablet rising up, yellow markings on it beginning to glow as Sarah smiled "Now I Sacrifice Manju of the Ten-Thousand Hands and Bazoo the Soul-Eater!" In a flash of light, her two selected Monsters disappeared as Shinato's Ark began to crack, then it exploded, and in its' place was a golden orb of light, hovering over the Field, then it shattered, showing an angel... adorned with 6 golden wings, a crown of sorts behind its' head like the sunrise, grey skin, golden and green armor and white robes and long hair as it landed down next to Silver.

"No.... way...." Rumiko blinked.  
"Turn end." Sarah smiled. "Now! Throw anything you want my way!"  
"My turn... Draw!" Rumiko drew her next card and said "I'll set a Monster face-down. Turn end..."

"So this is how it ends, eh? Very well. I did expect more from you, but I guess it cannot be helped. Time to end this. My turn! Draw!" Sarah drew her next card and smiled. "Now! Shinato! Destroy her face-down Monster!" Shinato raised his arms up to the sky, orbs beginning to surround him, as then, the orbs spiralled together into blades, Shinato thrusting his ahnds forward, the blade blasting forward, and slicing into Rumiko's set Monster, which turned out to be Spirit Reaper, a yellow decayed-looking grim reaper in purple robes with yellow lining along the sleeves and hood, and red on the inside of the robes, cackling as it blocked Shinato's attack with its' scythe then knocking it away.

"What!?!"

SPIRIT REAPER Dark/Zombie/3/300 ATK/200 DEF Effect: This card is not destroyed as a result of battle. Destroy this card when it is targeted by the effect of a Magic, Trap, or Effect Monster Card. If this card successfully attacks your opponent's Life Points directly, your opponent discards 1 card randomly from his/her hand.

"Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed as a result of battle at any time, so he makes an excellent wall. I was surprised when I drew him, but glad to, since I knew he'd be able to protect me from your big bad army, Sarah. This Duel is far from over!"

"Oh, but it IS almost over, I assume you." Sarah smirked, taking a card from her hand. "Now I play the Magic Card, Dark Core! With it, I discard a card from my hand to destroy and remove 1 Monster from play." Taking a card, Sarah slid it into her Duel Disk's Graveyard slot and pointed. "Now... bye bye Spirit Reaper!" In a flash, Spirit Reaper was gone, as Sarah smiled, Soul Absorption increasing her Life Points to 4000.

"Turn end."

"My turn... draw..." Rumiko drew her next card. Rumiko saw that the next card she had drawn was Kelbek. She knew even if Sarah destroyed it with one Monster, it'd return to her hand... but then the other would finish her off. She knew she was beaten and said "I'll now play Kelbek... in Defense Mode."

KELBEK Earth/Fairy/4/1500 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: The Monster attacking this Monster is returned to its' owner's hand. The damage calculation is applied normally.

Kelbek's appearance was much different tan for its' type. It looked almost like an ancient machine, most of its' body a brown golden, along with some blue here ans there, especially with a kind of floatation ring on its back which had blades along the end, with golden rods sticking out, and its' middle eye, like the symbol o fthe Millennium Items, began to glow.

"Turn end."

"So your last resort, eh? My turn! Draw!" Sarah drew her next card and smiled. "Sillva, attack Kelbek!!!" Sarah cried out. Silver roared loudly, charging right at Kelbek, slashing it up the middle, destroying it, and then in a flash, Silver disappeared back to Sarah's hand. But sarah just smiled and said "Now... to end this... SHINATO!!! ATTACK HER LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!!!"

Like he had done before, Shinato formed orbs around his body, the orbs then spinmning in rapid succession to form a blade. Rumiko smiled sadly and thought to herself. 'Ryo-kun... I'm sorry I couldn't save your dad... I just hope... you two will be reunited soon...'

And with that, Shinato's attack shot forward, slashing Rumiko, causing her to fall backwards, crying out as her Life Points dropped to 0, and her body hitting the ground, laying out. Sarah smiled, as Shinato disappeared, everyone else looking in shock, except for Keith, as Keith grinned. "Well... that was fun..."

Sarah walked over to Rumiko and scoffed. "I have no desire to punish you for your insolence at this time, Rumiko. You really thought you could beat me? You didn't even best Taro Mutoh when you had Yugi's Deck with you. How could someone like you ever expect to win...?" And once she was done, Sarah walked off, a confident smirk on her face.

Rumiko sat up, sighing a bit, but she looked in surprise when she saw Bakura's hand, Bakura smiling. Rumiko smiled back, taking a hand as Bakura helped her to her feet, Senbei at his side. "Rumiko. How come you challenged Sarah? None of us knew the why... so... why did..." Senbei had asked his younger sister.

"Well..." Rumiko blushed. "I did it for Ryo-kun. I wanted him to be with his dad again, since we never got that chance, and I wanted him to have that opportunity. But I guess it wasn't enough."

"You're wrong." Bakura smiled. "Rumiko-chan, you just made me see that I cannot give up that easily either. Whether it's me, you, or even Yugi and the others, I know I'll see my father again somehow. You just helped strengthen my resolve."

Rumiko's lips began to quiver, as tears overcame her and she then hugged Bakura, crying against him, as Bakura hugged her, patting her back gently as she continued to cry in his arms, not as bothered by her defeat as she was before.... but saddened about the fact she could have strengthened Bakura's own resolve.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	39. Chapter 39

Episode 39 - Counterattack from the Darkness!

In a darkened alley in the night-ridden sky of Domino City, a young man cried panting heavily as a darkened figure stood over him. The figure scoffed and said "Not enough..."

"H-how, how could you have done that!?! I couldn't even touch your Monsters...."

"That's right, young man. And now that I know exactly how strong this Deck is... HE will be my next target." The darkened figure turned and walked off, on the back of his long duster-style coat, all in Japanese, was written "The All-Swallowing Darkness" as the darkened figure smirked.

In class, at Domino High School, Yugi and his friends, along with some of the other students, were in Physical Education. Yugi cried out, kicking a soccer ball, crying out, while dodging one of his other classmates, dodging a slide tackle, seeing Joey, who was running up, and cried out ot him. "Yugi! I'm open!"

Yugi nodded, passing the ball to Joey, and as he did, Yugi blinked, when he saw a large man, with a devilish grin on his face, tan around his lips, a black purple cap with the symbol of Dark in Japanese, "Yami", on his cap, in white, with red lining along the edge of his cap and black hair sticking out of the back and sides of his head. He stood there, until Taro cried out, letting out "HEAD'S UP!!!", smashing into Yugi who groaned, his eyes swirling as Taro chuckled uneasily, rubbing the top of his head.

Later on, at the end of Physical Education, Yugi sighed, changing into his school uniform, as Taro chuckled. "Sorry about earlier, Yuge, my man. I didn't mean to knock into you! What happened?"

"Weirdest thing is I thought I saw a ghost. That's all. Weird, huh?" Yugi chuckled, Taro sweatdropping at how odd Yugi seemed there.

However, in the shadows, the same figure Yugi though he saw, the same one with a black and dark blue coat on over his large body, and a black and white jumpsuit with black pants and boots as well, a Duel Disk on his right arm, holding a cellphone. "I found him. And like we agreed... if I beat him, I get to keep everything."

"Of course, Panik. We had an agreement of course." Came the voice of Sarah, whom was smiling while sitting and talking on her speakerphone. "Is everything to your liking?"

"Yes." The large man known as Panik said. "I even know a good location in which to deal with Yugi Mutoh. And as you said, I can deal with him my way, and then if I win, as promised, everything is mine."

"Yes, we had our agreement. Just do your task."

"Fine. But I'm not one of your puppets you can push around like a defenseless puppy. And I will do things my own way. That was what you said I could do once you found me and gave me the new cards in my Deck and my Duel Disk." Panik then closed his cellphone and... as if like a shadow, he stepped backwards and he was gone.

Yugi was now walking home from school, looking up at the sky, as Taro looked at him. "That whole thing of seeing a ghost getting to you, Yugi?"

"A little, Taro. Maybe I'm thinking too much on it. I have been having weird experiences as of late, like that whole thing at the museum with the ghost of Marik and Ishizu's father. All I could know is that weird things allllways seem to happen to me as of late, even if I am without the Millennium Puzzle!"

Taro chuckled and smiled. "I'm gonna head inside now, Yugi. You gonna be OK?"  
"Yeah. I think I just need some air." Yugi smiled, as Taro nodded, heading inside, Yugi just stretching his arms as he put his hands behind his head and smiled. However, Yugi blinked as he heard a chuckle from elsewhere, looking around rapidly. "Huh!?"  
"Whoa! I am gettin' a bad feeling all of a sudden!" Horus replied, hopping onto Yugi's head, invisible to everyone else as usual.

"Yugi Mutoh... it's been a while since we last met. Now, we play by MY rules, you little fool. And what your other half did to me, you'll pay for in full..." Suddenly, Yugi cried out, being chopped on the back of the neck, passing out cold, but not before Panik caught him by the back of his uniform's jacket, chuckling darkly.

Moments later, Yugi groaned, rubbing his forehead, looking around. "Ow... wh-where am I?"  
"It looks like a Shinto shrine of some kind from what I can see!" Horus replied, blinking rapidly as he looked around. Yugi stood up slowly, but turned to see a person sitting near the window.

"Do you know what the worst part was about that battle I had with your 'dark' side, Yugi...?" Panik smirked, gazing at the window, as it was now dark, the sky completely black it'd seem, with little stars showing in the sky. "The fact I had to experience the darkness for what seemed like eternity. But it strengthened my resolve for vengeance."

"Y-y-you! Bu-bu-bu-but... you're dead... or brain-dead at least..." Yugi blinked in shock.

Panik stood up and cracked his knuckles. "What's the matter, Yugi? Scared of the fact that I have returned? Or scared of the unknown we are in? Hmmm?"

"Panik..." Yugi looked in shock. Panik took something from Yugi's backpack, which he had set with him and slid it out to Yugi using his boot to do so.

"There it is. Your Duel Disk and your Deck, all set for combat. All I had to do was set it up just right. Someone wants you out of the way, and I plan to do it myself... for some personal payback too. I owed a lot to your other self because of what he did... in fact, I have now embraced the darkness! He said I'd experience the real darkness... well, guess what? I did!" Panik then began to laugh maniacally, his arms at his sides, as Yugi blinked.

"How did you get out of the Penalty Game Atem put you into?"

"Simple." Panik crossed his arms and smirked. "When he was sent to the afterlife, or something like that... a voice called to me, telling me that I was free from my 'punishment'. But enough talk." Raising his right arm up, suddenly, a slot on the metal around his arm opened, and out came a bat wing-like shaped Duel Disk appeared, a smirk on Panik's face.

"Duel me now, Yugi! Or are you the true coward?"

"No way! I'll take you on, even if you had to do a stunt like this to get me here!" Yugi replied, grabbing his Duel Disk and slid it onto his arm, locking it into place. Panik smiled and pulled his Deck out, sliding it into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, gritting his teeth into a twisted grin, both Yugi and Panik saying "DUEL!!!"

Panik drew his first 5 cards from his Deck, as did Yugi, both looking at one another as Panik chuckled. "I'll start. Draw." Drawing his sixth card, Panik examined his hand, calculating everything he could. He looked at his cards; seeing a good lead-off Monster. He took his Monster, Archfiend's Picador, and showed it to Yugi, grinning. "My first Monster will be Archfiend's Picador in Attack Mode."

In a flash appeared a skeleton horse-like creature with horns on its' skull, curved much like a ram's, a spiked collar around its' neck and a light purple cloth covering much of its' body, with its' legs and spiked tail being visible. Riding on it was a skeletal figure with blood red flesh under the bones of its' torso, some blood red flesh showing near its' legs also, with two arms with three claws, and skulls on its shoulders, as well as white wings with red on the inside as the horse neighed.

ARCHFIEND'S PICADOR Dark/Warrior/4/1600 ATK/? DEF Effect: While "Dark Arena" is on the Field, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly, even if he/she has Monsters on the Field.

"Turn end!" Panik smirked, as Archfiend's Picador still remained in Attack Mode.  
"My turn, draw!" Yugi drew his own sixth card, looking at his hand, and then slapped a Monster card in vertical position. "Big Shield Gardna, summoned in Defense Mode!"

Big Shield Gardna appeared right in front of Yugi, knelt in Defense Mode behind his shield.

Big Shield Gardna DEF - 2600

"Turn end!"

"My turn." Panik smiled. Yugi blinked when he looked at Archfiends Picador, examining it, knowing even if in appearance, it seemed to fit Panik... it wasn't in his Deck the last time he had met him, and observed when Atem battled him, even if he wasn't known to Atem's presence at that point in time.

"I bet you're wondering where I gained the new card and the new equipment, Yugi. Well... after the battle with your other self, my mind was cast into a darkness, my body left on Duelist Kingdom, somewhere in the forest. Unbeknownest to you, Pegasus, or the other competitors, there was some spies for a rival company; Starlight Inc. They found and recovered my body after witnessing the Duel. Months passed as my mind was still gone... until finally... I was free. When I woke up, I had learned that 7 months had past since Duelist Kingdom. But then, I was approached by someone."

"Approached? By who? Was it this Sarah person I was told about by Senbei? Did she make you into a Card Hunter too!? Is that why you're here!? What does she want from me?!" Yugi cried out, his cry echoing through the empty halls of Panik's "home".

"I am not with her. But she wants you defeated because she wishes to humiliate Pegasus J. Crawford and I2. Me, I do not give a damn about such things. All I want is payback. She may have given me the Duel Disk and my newly enhanced Deck, but all I want to do is beat you for payback. Draw!" Drawing his next card, Panik looked at his hand and said "Next, I play Emissary of the Afterlife in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a black-cloaked grim reaper with grey skin, glowing red eyes and a glowing spot in its' mouth, cackling as it gripped the handle of its' scythe in both hands.

EMISSARY OF THE AFTERLIFE Dark/Fiend/4/1600 ATK/600 DEF Effect: When this card is sent from the Field to the Gravweyard, each player selects 1 Level 3 or lower Normal Monster from his/her Deck, shows it to the opponent, and adds it to his/her hand. The Decks are then shuffled.

"Now to begin! Archfiend's Picador! Attack Big Shield Gardna!" A glowing green light from one of the skulls on Archfiend's Picador's appeared, Panik calling out its' attack. "Dark Stroll!!" A flash of light shot out, smashing into Big Shield Gardna's shield, dropping Panik's Life Points from 4000 to 3000. But... then Big Shield Gardna's efect activated, causing him to stand up in Attack Mode, and with his ATK of 100, Yugi knew he was in trouble.

"Now, Emissary of the Afterlife, attack his Big Shield Gardna!" Emissary of the Afterlife shot right at Big Shield Gardna, bringing its' scythe down. "Underworld Scythe!" And in one slash, Big Shield Gardna was cut in half and destroyed, dropping Yugi's Life Points from 4000 to 2500 as well.

"Now you see I have gotten smarter, braver, more dangerous." Panik smirked. "I will next set one card face-down." Panik smiled, having 4 cards in his hand. "Turn... end..."

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, examining all he could do and said "Giant Soldier of Stone summoned in Defense Mode!" Giant Soldier of Stone appeared onto Yugi's side of the Field, down on one knee, his arms crossed over his chest. "Next, I'll set a card face-down. Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw." Panik smiled as he looked at his next card. "Now I will Sacrifice Emissary of the Afterlife..." In a swirl of white wind, Emissary of the Afterlife was gone as Panik showed Yugi his next card. "Now I summon Summoned Skull in Attack Mode!" In a crash of thunder, a card very familiar to Yugi appeared on Panik's side of the Field, roaring loudly.

"Since Emissary of the Afterlife has been sent from the Field to the Graveyard, both of us now select 1 Level 3 or lower Normal Monster from our Decks, show them to each other, add them to our hand, and shuffle our Decks. I will make the first selection, Emissary was mine." Panik pulled his Deck out, then showed a green fiend chained up, with a red loincloth over its' lower body, leaving its' legs shown though.

"My choice is Dark Prisoner." Panik smiled.

DARK PRISONER Dark/Fiend/3/600 ATK/1000 DEF

"And my choice..." Yugi replied, pulling his Deck out, and getting a card, showing it to Panik. "Is Silver Fang!"  
Both nodded as they said, at the same time, with their Decks in hand. "Deck Shuffle!" Both then shuffled their Decks, sliding them into the Duel Disks' Deck Holders once their Decks had been shuffled. Panik then thrusted his rather large hand forward. "Now! Summoned Skull! Attack his Giant Soldier of Stone!"

Summoned Skull roared, lightning crackling around its' body. "Magic Rain Lightning!!!" And after Panik called its' attack, Summoned Skull unleashed the lightning right at Giant Soldier of Stone. But suddenly, Yugi tapped a button on his Duel Disk, to activate his set card. "Trap Card, open! Castle Walls!"

"Castle Walls...? That means his Giant Soldier of Stone will get a 500 DEF point increase..." Panik muttered to himself, knowing very well this meant Giant Soldier of Stone wouldn't be destroyed by Summoned Skull's attack, with both having equal ATK and DEF, which in a battle in Duel Monsters meant the attack would be cancelled out, and the Monster that was an attack target would still be on the Field.

CASTLE WALLS Normal Trap Card Effect: Increase the DEF of a Monster by 500 points.

With a crash, and a brilliant flash of light, Summoned Skull's attack consumed Giant Soldier of Stone, but Giant Soldier of Stone remained on the Field, still in Defense Mode, singed, but standing still.

"Tch. Very well. I end my turn." Panik scoffed.

"My turn then." Yugi exhaled, then drew his next card, examining his hand of five cards, and saw his next move. Yugi exhaled and said "I will set a Monster face-down. And Giant Soldier of Stone will remain in Defense Mode too. Turn end."

"My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Panik turned it in his hand and smiled, raising it up to Yugi. "Now I will activate the Ritual Magic Card, Dark Paseo. This Ritual Magic Card will allow me to summon my strongest Monster... but I will need a Level 6 or more Sacrifice."

Suddenly, everything changed for a moment in the moonlit room, as the innards of some creature appeared, a blood red pod underneath its' ribcage, as Yugi was taken aback for a moment, a sense of fear coming from his chest as he knew... something bad was going to come.

DARK PASEO Ritual Magic Card Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon "Archfiend's Matador". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Levels equal 6 or more from the Field or your hand.

"Now." Panik thrusted his hand at Summoned Skull, then clenched it. "I Sacrifice Summoned Skull to the Ritual, in order to bring forth Archfiend's Matador. Ritual Summoned!"

In a flash, Summoned Skull was gone, as in its' place stood a dark green colored Fiend, with red wings attached to its' arms from the undersides, a horn on its' forehead and on the back of its' head, two glowing red eyes, a human-like mouth, claws on its' hands and feet, what appeared to be a dark purple like flesh exposed along its' chest, ankles, and fingers, before the claws, as well as a similiar kind of flesh around its' neck, only yellow, and the last noticable thing, a pod-like object on its' chest, a lighter green than the rest of its' body.

ARCHFIEND'S MATADOR Dark/Warrior-Ritual/6/0 ATK/0 DEF Effect: This card can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Magic Card "Dark Paseo". This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. Battle Damage inflicted to this card's controller involving this card in Battle is 0. If battling another Monster, destroy the Monster battling with this card at the end of the Damage Step. This card cannot attack.

"Archfiend's... Matador?" Yugi blinked. "That's a card I've never seen before..."

"Yes. Archfiend's Matador is a rare card indeed, Yugi. When Sarah gave me new cards for my Deck, I selected cards.... that my Darkness Deck could feed on, could make good use of! And this one, my best card, is one of them! But there is more... much more. I will show you the full terror of my new Darkness Deck soon enough."

"So why did you choose darkness as your theme?"

"Simple. The darkness is something most people are afraid of... because they cannot see anything, or it is the unknown, or it symbolizes evil. But I've embraced the dark. I've always felt at home with the primordial darkness that existed before anything else, and will exist afterwards." Panik grinned.

"Now let me show you another part of that which I embrace! I now play the Field Magic Card from my hand! The Yami no Tougijou! Dark Arena, activate!!!" Panik's newly risen card began to shine as a sliding panel on his Duel Disk appeared and he slapped Dark Arena onto it, the panel sliding into his Duel Disk.

A black mist appeared, consuming everything as Yugi cried out at the top of his lungs, Panik cackling as the darkness consumed over the entire floor of the shrine they were battling in. Yugi soon opened his eyes and looked about, blinking as behind Panik appeared a skeletal kind of doorway, with black mist consuming around him and his Monsters. He smirked, then chuckled darkly. "Turn end!!"

DARK ARENA Field Magic Card Effect: While this card is on the Field, during the Battle Phase, the turn player must attack with all Attack Mode Monsters on their side of the Field if possible. If you do not control an Archfiend monster, your opponent selects which monsters you battle during your Battle Phase. During your opponent's Battle Phase, you can select your opponent's attack targets.

"My turn..." Yugi stopped for a moment. "Draw!" Drawing his next card, Yugi also remembered his set Monster Card, and nodded. He took his next card and said "I will set one card face-down. And that's the end of my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Panik smiled, showing his next card to Yugi and then slapping it onto his Duel Disk. "I summon Archfiend's Banderillero in Attack Mode!" In a flash, between Archfiend's Picador and Archfiend's Matador appeared a demonic figure with a long curving tail, with white thorns, which struck with its' dark brown body, as well as red eyes and a mouth showing on its' chest, its' head curved towards Yugi like a blade, with a human-like jaw, thorns also on its; shoulders as its' wings spread out and it roared.

ARCHFIEND'S BANDERILLERO Dark/Warrior/3/900 ATK/1800(?) DEF Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned successfully, destroy 1 Monster on the Field. During the turn this card is summoned, this card cannot attack.

"With Archfiend's Banderillero's effect, when it is Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or Special Summoned successfully, I can destroy 1 Monster on the Field. I choose your face-down Monster!" Panik grinned. In a flash of light, Yugi cried out as he looked in shock, the afterimage of Penguin Soldier disappearing.

"But now, Archfiend's Banderillero has summoning sickness, meaning it cannot attack during the turn it has been summoned. Also, even if you have a Monster, you will find something very... interesting. Archfiend's Picador! Attack his Life Points directly!" Archfiend's Picador raised up its' skull then fired its' Dark Stroll attack, smashing Yugi who cried out, his Life Points dropped by 1600 points to 900 Life Points. Yugi wobbled, before dropping to one knee, panting.

"Turn end. Yugi. You can just surrender now if you'd like... I am about to crush you anyhow..."

"Not a chance! I won't stop that easily! My turn... Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, and took a chance. "I'll turn Giant Soldier of Stone to Attack Mode!" Giant Soldier of Stone slowly stood up, pulling out its' sword. Yugi then thrusted his hand forward. "Giant Soldier of Stone! Attack Archfiend's Banderillero!"

"Sorry. It won't work. With the effect of Dark Arena, during your Battle Phase, I choose which Monsters battle which! And I choose your target to be Archfiend's Matador."

"Doesn't matter what happens! Giant Soldier of Stone! Rock-Crushing Sword!" Giant Soldier of Stone slashed across Archfiend's Matador, but the demonic beast's horn began to glow, then a piercing light ripped through Giant Soldier of Stone, blowing it to dust as Yugi cried out.

"Archfiend's Matador. Effect 1. It cannot be destroyed as a result of battle as you have seen when Giant Soldier of Stone attacked it. But it cannot attack while on the Field. Although it has an ATK of 0, and a DEF of 0 also, its' second effect compensates for that. Effect 2. When Archfiend's Matador battles with another Monster, it destroys that Monster at the end of the Damage Step. And I also take no Battle Damage from it being in battle! And also, if you had more Monsters on the Field, you'd have to attack with them because of Dark Arena's effect. And then its' second effect allows me to choose which Monsters battle which. In other words, as long as Archfiend's Matador and Dark Arena is on the Field..." Soon, the shadows from Dark Arena cascaded over Panik and his Monsters, his voice ringing out to Yugi. "You cannot touch me at all."

"Well, I'll still do all I can. I won't give up so easily. But by no means are you a coward, Panik. This tactic is brilliant. Against an offensive-based Duelist, you'd easily have them locked by choosing them to battle different Monsters, while you took no damage at all, and managed to destroy one at least with Archfiend's Matador. As I told you before, I won't quit! Now I play Winged Kuriboh in Defense Mode!"

In a flash, Winged Kuriboh appeared on Yugi's side of the Field, hovering over its' set card, letting out a cute cry of "Kuri!", Yugi exhaling as he had 4 cards in his hand now. He looked at his set card and thought to himself. 'Wings of Evolution is set... Winged Kuriboh is on the Field, and it's time to get him for some effect damage if he attacks.'

"Turn end!"

"My turn." Panik drew his next card and smiled. He then slid his set card into his Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone and smiled as it flashed behind him. "Now I will set one card face-down. Now! Archfiend's Banderillero! Attack Winged Kuriboh!"

Archfiend's Banderillero howled as it dived for Winged Kuriboh. "Not so fast! Quickplay Magic Card, Wings of Evolution activate!"

Wings of Evolution flipped face-up, and shined. "Now I will send 2 cards from my hand to the Graveyard along with Winged Kuriboh!" Yugi took Kishido Spirit and Horn of the Unicorn, sliding them into his Graveyard slot, and continued. "Now I send Winged Kuriboh to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon Winged Kuriboh LV10!"

In a flash, Winged Kuriboh disappeared, Yugi grabbing Winged Kuriboh LV10's card which slid out of his Deck and showing it to Panik, then slapping it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "Go, Winged Kuriboh LV10! Show this guy your stuff!"

Large wings spread out, armor over its' body and its' phoenix-like tails at the end of its' helmet, WInged Kuriboh LV10 began to glow brightly, as Yugi thrusted his arm forward. "Now I activate Winged Kuriboh LV10's effect! When your Battle Phase is on, I can send it to the Graveyard to destroy all Monsters on your side of the Field in Attack Mode, and then deal damage to your Life Points for each Monster destroyed this way! And since it's Effect Damage you're gonna take, you can't be protected from Dark Arena's effect! Winged Kuriboh, take them all out!!"

In a flash of light, Winged Kuriboh closed its' eyes and cried out. "KURI, KURI!!!" and it swallowed up everything, Panik gritting his teeth, Yugi doing the same, as Archfiend's Banderillero, Archfiend's Picador, and Archfiend's Matador exploded, disappearing in flashs of light, as then, the arena returned to normal, Panik's Life Points now at 500 Life Points (1600 + 900 = 2500. Panik had 3000 Life Points, so 3000 - 2500 = 500), as Yugi exhaled. "At least that put us closer to one another."

"My tactics aren't so easily disposed of, Yugi. Now I activate my set card, Monster Reborn! Come forth once more, Archfiend's Matador!!" In a flash, Archfiend's Matador reappeared, arms crossed, then spread them out as it grunted. "Now... I end my turn. No matter what you do, Yugi, if you summon a Monster in Attack Mode, you will lose it the moment it attacks Archfiend's Matador. So essentially... you lose. Turn end!"

'Maybe he's right... maybe he isn't... but... I can't stop now! I gotta at least try!' Yugi thought to himself. "My turn!" Drawing his next card, Yugi blinked in surprise when he saw he had drawn Level Colosseum, his Field Magic Card! And then he remembered the effect that Archfiend's Matador had, which did him no good...

But then he exhaled, looking at his hand, his Life Points at 800, and anything he risked, he'd lose. But he remembered something. He looked at his cards, he smiled and said "I now play Book of Moon!!"  
"Book of Moon?"

"This Magic Card allows me to change 1 face-up Monster to face-down Defense Mode! And I choose Archfiend's Matador!" In a flash, Archfiend's Matador disappeared and in its' place was a face-down Monster Card turned horizontally, as Panik gasped. Yugi now had 2 cards in his hands. He took a second card and showed it to Panik. "Now I'll play Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Yugi had drawn Mystic Swordsman LV2 and Double Attack. He remembered he still had Silver Fang and grinned, as he said "Now I play Mystic Swordsman LV2!"

In a flash, Mystic Swordsman LV2 made his appearance, slashing his sword across the air. "When Mystic Swordsman LV2 attacks a face-down Monster, that Monster is destroyed by his effect, and sent to the Graveyard without damage calculation, but since just attacking your face-down Archfiend's Matador won't work, I'll play the Magic Card, Double Attack!"

In a flash, Double Attack's art appeared in a flash, Yugi holding out Silver Fang. "I'll now discard Silver Fang, a Level 3 Monster, to use its' effect, allowing Mystic Swordsman LV2 to attack twice in the same Battle Phase! So go for it, Mystic Swordsman!! Mystic Slash!!" Mystic Swordsman LV2 grunted, charging forward, slashing Demon's Matador's face-down card in half, destroying it, and Yugi then thrusted his hand forward. "And for the finale... Mystic Swordsman, direct attack!!" Mystic Swordsman leapt into the air, crying out as he slashed Panik, causing the Duelist of Darkness to cry out, his Life Points dropping to 0 from 500!

Panik gritted his teeth as Yugi fell backwards, onto his butt, panting from the Duel he had just been in. Panik then exhaled, closed his eyes, grabbed Yugi's backpack and tossed it to him. "Go."

"Huh?" Yugi blinked as he caught his backpack, taking his Duel Disk off and sliding into there, then slipping it onto his back. "You're just gonna let me go? You're not gonna do anything to me?"

"No." Panik crossed his arms, his bat wing-like Duel Disk folding up and sliding away. "But do not think I will give up so easily, Yugi. I will eventually have my vengeance against you. So... when you see the shadows, just remember... that I will be there perhaps... waiting for my moment to strike." And with that, Panik walked down the halls of the shrine, disappearing into the shadows, Yugi blinking in shock.

'There goes... an unusual opponent... but a dangerous one... he's even worse than he was in Duelist Kingdom...' Yugi then exhaled, and rushed off, making his way home, knowing he was probably going to be rather late after this whole incident!

Panik then took his black cellphone, answering it. "Yes?"

"Panik. How did it all go? Was Yugi defeated?" Sarah's voice had said to him, ringing in his ear.

"No. Unfortunately, he managed to make a comeback in the end."

Sarah growled, then slammed her clenched fist onto her desk. "Dammit all! Can anyone defeat this brat!?! Very well. As part of our agreement, you must now be one of my Card Hunters and..."

"No. I will defeat Yugi Mutoh as myself. No one else..." Panik replied. "I thank you for the equipment, and the Deck, but I fight my own fights. Even if I2 hired me during Duelist Kingdom, that was in the past. This is the here and now. Just tell any of your 'lackeys' that if they get in my way... that they will fall into the shadows." And with that, Panik clicked off his cellphone and chuckled, as he stood in the shadows, arms crossed, a devilish smirk on his face.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	40. Chapter 40

Episode 40 - Enter The Sawada Bros.! Yugi and Joey vs. Spellcaster and Warrior! Part 1

Sarah Ashcroft was angered. Bandit Keith, her lover, and the second-in-command of the Card Hunters, could tell as she reviewed Duels Yugi Mutoh had been in against her Card Hunters... how each time, it had seemed Yugi was going to lose, but each time, he returned stronger than before and won just barely!

Keith slid his sunglasses down slightly and smiled. "Well, ya know, there is always the option of me takin' on Yugi, babe. I've not had a chance to Duel once since reconfiguring my Deck, and I am itching to get into combat!"

"No, Keith. I'll need you at 100% when you do Duel, darling. Understand this. As my lieutenant, I need you ready for anything. So far, those you have brought in Duelists who have proven to be powerful, but if I am to humiliate Pegasus, Yugi Mutoh must go down. I have theorized that if he loses, when the world sees he is just an ordinary Duelist, one not worthy of the title of the Duel King, they will lose faith in I2, which I can use to my advantage..."

"Hey! How about a two-fer? I know two guys who have been itching to get into some action." Keith grinned.  
"Oh? And who did you have in mind for them to battle?"

"That punk, Wheeler, and Yugi. The guys I got in mind are Kenshi and Utsugi Sawada. They may be circus performers, but they are badasses when it comes to Duel Monsters. Maybe ya heard of 'em."

Sarah rubbed her chin, her eyes closed. "I have a bit..."

"Good. And I believe they are passing through, putting on a show with their troupe. I'll check." Keith quickly pulled out his cellphone, examining as he grinned. "Bingo! They are! Lemme get in touch with them pronto!" Clicking his speed dial, Keith grinned.

At a circus big top near Domino Park, there were several performers preparing everything. One of them was a tall and slightly gangly person with black hair, and a white mask covering much of his face, except for his nose, mouth, and jaw, with two slits in the mask for his eyes. He also had on a black t-shirt, a grey pair of jeans, and beige boots while moving around a rollabout crate with the words "Utsugi Sawada, Magician" written on it in Japanese and English.

Behind him, looking at some throwing knives as a messy brown-haired young man, who looked similiar to Utsugi, only he had his hair partially tied in a ponytail in the back, as well as having blue pants with 6 slots on the sides, assumingly for knives, like the ones he was looking at. He also had a white t-shirt as he slid his knives into his pocket, then heard Utsugi called to him.

"Hey! Kenshi!" Kenshi blinked at the call of his name, turning to Utsugi. "Yeah, bro?"

"You remember Keith Howard, that guy from when the troupe was in the US? Guess what? He wanted us to take on two guys here... I dunno why, but he just said we owed him for the time he had to bail us out."

Kenshi leaned back on the table he was sitting in and groaned. "UGH!! Utsugi, bro, why do we even owe the guy?"

"He got us out of jail that time just for the hell of it, or he just saw some use for us. Either way, we should at least pay him back."

"Well, I guess we could... what's the name of the Duelists he wants us to Duel...?"

"Yugi Mutoh and Joey Wheeler."

"Well, we're gonna be in for one helluva ride then!" Kenshi sat up. "Alright, how about you take on Yugi, and I'll take Wheeler? Whaddya say?"

"Fine with me, brother, as long as we don't forget that the show takes top priority. We'll finish up with it first, THEN we'll take them on." Utsugi smiled. "As Father taught us when he adopted us... the show must go on!"

Kenshi nodded and landed on his feet, running his closed fist under his nose. "Dude, I can't wait to perform and Duel those guys!! After all, Yugi is known as the Duel King, and Wheeler, despite not havin' that big of a rep, has done well for himself! Placed 4th in Battle City, 2nd in Duelist Kingdom!! Man, I am SOOOO stoked!!!"

Utsigi chuckled at first at his brother's enthusiasm, then began to laugh. "Brother, you are too much!"  
"Yeah? So? It helps when ya perform like we do!" Kenshi grinned.

Yugi was just sitting in his room, looking at some of his cards. The ones he had out at the moment were Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8, Armed Dragon LV7, Mystic Swordsman LV6, Silent Swordsman LV7, Silent Magician LV8, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, Winged Kuriboh, Blockman, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, Destructive Dragon Gondora, and Marshmalon.

Chuckling, Yugi looked over his cards, as Horus popped out, landing on his head, transparent to everyone else as almost always. "So, Yugi, was there any particular reason you chose to bring some of the gang out?"

"I wanted to make sure you guys had clean cards is all." Yugi smiled. "These are the last ones... some of Atem's cards, some from the Deck I used when I Dueled Atem, and then the new stuff like you, partner. Now I feel good." Swiping his cards carefully, Yugi grinned, shuffling his Deck and sliding it away into the Deck holder around his belt as he rushed to grab his backpack. "Come on! Joey and the others said they had something cool for us to do!

"Uh, what?"

"Something about a circus being in town! That should be really fun!" Yugi smiled, heading out his front door, as Taro walked behind. "Hey, Yuge, did the others even tell ya where the circus was?"

"No idea, Taro, but we are gonna be meeting them... I think." But before Yugi could continue, a limosuine pulled up out of nowhere in front of Yugi, who had on a black t-shirt shirt, a dark blue vest, and light blue jeans, while Taro, who just barely caught up, blinking in surprise, was in his red hoodie, the sleeves rolled up, and beige jeans.

Suddenly, stepping out of the limosuine, smiling in a light pink dress with dark pink strapped high heels was Mary Misumi, her hair in a ponytail this time instead of pigtails. "Bonjour!"

"GAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" Taro cried out. "It's the psycho chick!"  
"I'm not a psycho chick!!" Mary snapped in return, then sighed. "Yugi, is your cousin always like this?"

"Well, for the most part, Taro is not so bad. But, Mary, what the heck are you doing all the way over here from uptown?"

Mary giggled and said "Well, T a and I were talking last night, and she suggested that I come and get you two. After all, my father is the one who had helped set up the circus in town. It is the least I could do. So come on in, guys, and we can get there in a jiff!"

"Fine with me." Yugi smiled, stepping into the limo. Taro shrugged, then followed right behind, stepping in also, closing the door also. As the limo began to drive off, Taro looked at Mary and said "So, uh, sorry about that psycho chick crack. Just the whole thing you did with Yugi a while back, about him bein' your fiance if you beat him... that was a trip. Hahahahahahaha!!"

Mary smiled and said "No worries, Taro. I can see why you could be iffy. But Yugi did consider me his friend, so I am grateful for that. Even with all the fortune I've amassed, I haven't had many friends, so I am just grateful to get one, even under the most unconventional methods like when Yugi and I had our Duel. I hope I can consider all of you to be friends as well."

"Wellllll..." Taro began to think, rubbing his chin. "MMmmmmmmm... OK, why not!?!" Grinned the younger of the Mutoh cousins. "If Yugi can see you as a friend, Mary, I can give it a shot. So, by the way, what's this circus like?"

"This cirque is said to be one of the best. It recently made its' return from Paris, as well as tours in Europe. Places such as Venice, Rome, London, Berlin, Dublin, and more! It was amazing that my father was able to get them to come to Japan. But then again, the name of Isado Masumi is famous the world over. And my mother's connections in the European world helps too!"

"Uhm, this is gonna sound pretty obvious, but are you half-French?" Asked Taro, scratching his head gently.  
"Oui, oui, monsieur. I may not have the accent, but I do know the language and culture quite well." Mary smiled, as the limosuine pulled to a halt near the site of the circus. Yugi looked out of his window and was left in a slight moment of awe.

"WHOA..."

"That's what I said when my father showed this to me. Henri, please get the doors open."

"Oui, Ms. Misumi." Stepping out of the driver's compartment, the Misumis' driver walked to the door, opening it, as Yugi, Taro and Mary all stepped out, Yugi just grinning, feeling very giddy because of the sight behold to him. He was very much still like a kid, as serious as he could get to be. Taro walked forward, his hands in his pockets as he looked about.

"I wonder if the others are here already... they did say they were gonna meet us here."

"Yugi! Taro!" A voice cried out. The Mutoh cousins, as well as Mary turned as one, with T a, Tristan, Melody, and Duke walking up.  
"There you are, guys! We barely just got here, and we thought you had arrived early!" T a said, smiling. "Oh! Mary!"

"Hey, T a!" Mary smiled, and then suddenly, Duke was near Mary, smiling.

"Hello." The tone in Duke's voice was a very masculine one.

"Uhm... hello..." Mary said, blinking in confusion. The only other reaction was from Taro, who just groaned with a slight tone of disgust present.

"Here we go again! It's just like with Melody... Duke must think he's some kind of a chick magnet."  
Joey nodded, crossing his arms, eyes closed. "He did have his own gaggle of cheerleaders once when we first met him, so yeah, he must think he's the handsomest thing ever to walk on two legs."

"Amen to that. And I know from bickering with him over Serenity." Tristan added to the conversation.  
Joey then twitched and grabbed Tristan in a headlock, twisting as hard as he could with Tristan crying out from the strain Joey was placing on his body.

Duke took Mary's hand and smiled, kissing it. "I don't know if we've been properly introduced. I'm Duke Devlin, a friend to the famous Yugi Mutoh. I also am the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters. Yugi did mention you a few times, but he never said how ravishing you were.. the pleasure is mine, miss...?"

"It, it's Misumi... Mary Misumi." Mary replied, surprise on her face at this.

T a then walked over and grabbed Duke by his ponytail. "Now's not the time to be flirting, pretty boy! We're here to have fun! If you want to flirt, do it on your own time."

"Ow, Ow, owwww!! T a, not the ponytail, not the ponytail!!" Duke outbursted when his ponytail was tugged on.

Kenshi looked over from afar, after getting himself prepared for the show, sliding his knives into their holsters, tapping Utsugi on his arm, Utsugi now in a black cloak also, with a wand and a top hat. "Hmm? What is it brother?"

"Those're them. The guy who's five five with the spikey hair is Yugi. The blonde guy is Wheeler. I guess we're lucky that the guy who gave us this plot has a kid that is friends with 'em. Sounds like this is gonna be a lot of fun! I just hope Dad won't kill us for going into a Duel after the performing."

"Don't worry." Utsugi smiled, his mask still covering his face, except for his mouth. "He will not mind, since it won't interfere with the show."

"Great! So let's put on the best damn show we can do!" Kenshi clenched his right hand, a bright grin crossing his face.

Soon enough, when time had passed, the circus began, with everyone in the stands watching in awe, as soon enough, Utsugi was on the stage, smiling as he said "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I want you to see the wonder that is presdigitation! Magic may seem like it's fake, but the way I do it, it is no illusion. I'll even prove it. Can I get someone from the audience to come down?" Looking around, he then pointed to T a, who sat right next to Yugi, walking over to her. "Miss, how about you?"

"Me?" T a blushed, Yugi looking a bit perturbed and jealous as well, when T a stood up, walking forward towards Utsugi, who smiled, taking her hand, leading her down from the audience stands, right up to a box that he had set up, as Utsugi smiled, Kenshi and their adoptive father, Duncan, in his red barker's suit, looked on and smiled.

"He really is into this tonight, isn't he, Kenshi?" Duncan whispered down to Kenshi.  
"He is, Pop. I kinda wondered why he wanted to pick someone from the audience..."

Utsugi led T a to the opened box and smiled. "Alright, miss. Let's begin. Just stay perfectly still, and I assure you, you will be 100% safe."

"Alright...." T a spoke softly, as Utsugi took out a cane, waving it, then tapping it on the box's sides, as they all came up, locking around T a, everyone looking on while Utsugi took out some Duel Monsters cards, copies of what he had in his real Deck, showing them to the audience.

"Now, ladies and gents, this is what you're going to see! I'll be using these Duel Monsters cards, guiding them through the box along my lovely assistant from the audience, and then, when I wave my wand and tap it against the box, I am going to make her disappear! But she will be just fine, I assure you this much." Taking the cards carefully, Utsugi flicked them, landing them all near the box then waved his wand, smiling.

And in a flash, the box opened and T a was gone! Everyone gasped, Utsugi smiling. "And that is my fabulous magic, ladies and gentlemen! And don't worry, you will see the young girl I had as my assistant for this trick when we are done. That I promise! I also assure you, she is safe."

Yugi blinked then rubbed his chin, pushing himself up as Utsugi walked off and smiled, then looked at his brother, whispering. 'OK. It's almost all set, brother.'

'Good.' Kenshi took hsi things then looked at their father. "Dad, we have something we're gonna be doing before we help clean up tonight. Sorry to cut this so short, but we will need to be doing that as something. You remember that American guy, Bandit Keith? The guy who bailed us out of jail in NYC?"

"Of course I do. Why?"

"He wanted us for some reason to take on two guys in the audience in a Duel..." Kenshi started.  
With Utsugi adding in his two cents as well. "And we wanted to use some part of the park as the battleground."  
"Hmmmm..." Duncan stroked his beard, then smiled,. nodding. "Alright then, boys."

Kenshi pulled some of his knifes out and said "Then it's my turn!" Running out, Kenshi did some backflips out into the ring, smiling as he watched one of the others in the circus, walking up to a board, then being strapped in as he got blindfolded. Kenshi smiled, keeping his knives in his hand, then flicking them carefully. Each throw was very through and accurate, not once hitting the person strapped to the board. Everyone was in awe, as Utsugi nodded, heading off. Yugi got up and began to head off also. Everyone else looked on and blinked, Taro whispering. "Yugi, where are ya goin'?"

"I'm gonna go see if I can find T a." Yugi replied.  
"I'll go too." Taro stood up. "I mean, ya can't expect to wander off alone, can you?"  
Melody stood up as well, then whispered. "If he goes, I'll go."

Yugi nodded. "OK, guys. Let's go then." The trio then headed off, muttering to everyone apologetically as they headed for the exit. Joey looked over, blinking. 'Musta had to go to the bathroom...'

Kenshi blinked and cried out, accidently losing one of his knives. Tristan, Duke, and Mary all gasped, Tristan crying out. "JOEY, HEAD'S UP!!!" Suddenly, Joey turned and then a THUNK hit the air, as everyone gasped, Joey gulping. Kenshi raised up his blindfold and gulped. "Whoops! Sorry..."

Joey got up and said "OK, that's it!! You may have done that accidently, but you're goin' down for that, buster!!!" Joey grabbed the railing in front of the audience seats, and leapt over it, as Kenshi began to run, Joey going right after him, but soon enough, Tristan took after him, with Duke helping Mary over, and those two ran right after the already ahead Joey and Tristan. Duncan looked on and thought to himself. 'Well, it seems the boys have got this already planned...'

Utsugi soon walked up to the House of Mirrors, smiling as he came to T a. "Miss, are you alright? No discomfort? I wouldn't want you to be in any kind of discomfort at all."  
T a blinked. "N-no. I'm alright... but... why did you?"  
"Bring you here? Well, miss.... come to think of it, I do not know your name."

"It's T a. T a Gardner."

"Thank you. Miss Gardner, all I'm doing is trying to get your boyfriend into a Duel. That is why I did this, as well as leaving a clue for him, to come and find you here."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yes. Yugi Mutoh..." Utsugi said, adjusting his mask. "He is your boyfriend, is he not?"  
"Uh..." T a stiffened slightly, her face reddening. "N-no..."  
"Well, I assumed he was. I apologize. But I look forward to seeing him Duel when he does show up. In the mean time, are you thristy? I have some water if you need it."

"I'm alright." T a replied. 'Yugi...'

Yugi, Taro, and Melody looked all over the circus, finding no signs of T a anywhere they looked. The trio looked at one another, as Yugi sighed. "No signs of T a anywhere. Where the heck could she be!? It's not like she could have gotten too far, even if that magician used a trick to make her disappear..."

"I dunno if this is odd or not..." Melody blinked. "But when I went near a stand, someone gave me a note, telling me that if I saw you, Yugi, that I was to give it to you. I still have the note in my pocket..." Reaching into her pocket, the young lavender-haired girl pulled out a folded slip of paper, and Yugi carefully grabbed it, looking at it.

"Hey, this isn't a note. It's a map!" Yugi looked at the map and said "The X... it looks like it's near the House of Mirrors. Maybe X marks the spot where T a is!"

Taro grinned and raised his fist up. "Then let's bolt and get her!" Yugi nodded at his cousin's enthusiasm, all three of them rushing off, Yugi looking at the map, but as they ran in one direction, Kenshi, Joey, Tristan, Duke, and Mary were running in the other way. Kenshi soon enough grinned when he saw two Duel Disks on the ground, baseball sliding to grab them and slid one onto his arm, raising hs hand up.

"HOLD IT!!" Kenshi replied.  
"What?" Joey blinked as he stopped, Tristan, Duke, and Mary also stopping.  
"Look, I am sorry the knife slipped, so why do you wanna kill me so bad? Just 'cause of it happening or what? If you wanna get your steam off, let's Duel!"

"Wha-!?" Joey said. Duke blinked, rubbing his head. "OK, this is odd... first, this guy runs because of accidently throwing the knife at him 'cause of what Joey may do to him... then he wants to Duel!?! What a kooky guy..."  
"I'll say." Tristan added.

Kenshi took the remaining Duel Disk from under his arm, sliding it over to Joey. Joey then nodded. "Alright." He then kicked the Duel Disk up, grabbed it, and slid it onto his arm. "I'm ready to go when you are, but don't expect to win that easily!"

"Hyuk hyuk hyuk." Kenshi playfully stuck his tongue out, before he spoke very fluent English as he slid his Deck into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder. "Let's rock, baby, YEEEEEEAH!!!"  
Joey placed his Deck into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, both Duel Disks locking into position, both Duelists drawing their first five cards.

"Duel!" Both Joey and Kenshi said at the same time, their Duel Disks' Life Point counters rolling from 0 to 4000.  
"I'll kick things off!" Kenshi grinned, drawing his sixth card. "My first turn!"

Kenshi began to examine his hand, seeing he had Warrior Dai Grepher, Divine Sword Phoenix Blade, Morale Boost, Fairy of the Spring, Metamorphosis, and Sakuretsu Armor. He then blinked and thought 'Uh, OK, this is not that good of a hand... but, uh, I guess I'll improvise... what to do...?' Soon, he scratched the top of his head and shook it.

"Hey! Can ya make your move sometime this century?!!" Joey snapped, a frustration mark appearing near his head.

"OK!" Kenshi retorted, just now following his instincts. "I summon Warrior Dai Grepher in Attack Mode!"  
In a flash, a large muscular warrior appeared on Kenshi's side of the Field, gripping a large sword in his hands, grunting as he slashed the air. The most noticable features of Warrior Dai Grepher were his black hair, his black chest armor along with armor around his face, and black wristbands with red at the ends, as well as red lining down his chest armor, as the rest of his gear was dark green pants, as well as dark brown boots.

WARRIOR DAI GREPHER Earth/Warrior/4/1700 ATK/1600 DEF

"Next, I'll set down a face-down card, then play this!" Kenshi took a Magic Card from his hand and showed it to Joey. "The Permanent Magic Card, Morale Boost!! Each time either of us plays an Equip Magic Card, we gain 1000 Life Points, but if they're removed from the Field, we receive 1000 points of damage!"

MORALE BOOST Permanent Magic Card Effect: Each time a player equips an Equip Magic Card, increase the Life Points of the controller of that Equip Magic Card by 1000 points. Each time an Equip Magic Card is removed from the Field, the controller of that Equip Magic Card takes 1000 points of damage.

"Now, I'll show that off! I play the Equip Magic Card, Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade!" In a flash, Warrior Dai Grepher's sword changed. The sword itself now had a handle and hilt much like a phoenix, the blade being much bigger, raising Warrior Dai Grepher's ATK from 1700 to 2000.

DIVINE SWORD - PHOENIX BLADE Equip Magic Card Effect: This card can only be Equipped to a Warrior-Type Monster. Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 300 points. If this card is in your Graveyard during your Main Phase, by removing from play 2 Warrior-Type Monster from your Graveyard, add this card to your hand.

"Divine Sword Phoenix Blade is a really nifty Magic Card. First, the Equipped Monster has to be a Warrior-Type Monster, and its' ATK shoots up by 300 points." Kenshi smiled.

"That's not much. You can get the same value from Legendary Sword but with a DEF increase to boot!" Joey replied.

"He has a good point there." Duke added, arms crossed. "So far, all Phoenix Blade looks like is a more flashiy Equip Magic Card than Legendary Sword, with nothing else to go with that."

Mary blinked. "Duke, I remember something else baout this card, even if I mostly use Plant-Type Monsters. My family has a lot of Duel Monsters cards, due to my elder brother, so..."  
"Yeah, what was it?" Duke asked.

"She's right." Kenshi smiled. "The other effect of Divne Sword Phoenix Blade is while it exists in my Graveyard, during any of my Main Phases, I can remove 2 Warrior-Type Monsters from play, and add it back to my hand. So essentially, like its' namesake, this card is undying."

"No way!" Joey replied, his eyes shrinking somewhat.  
"Man, if he had enough Warriors in his Graveyard, he'd be able to keep adding Phoenix Blade back to his hand over and over again, even if he discarded it to another card's effect." Tristan replied.

"Now I'm at 5000 LP thanks to me playing Morale Boost, and to top it off, I still got 2 cards in my hand! Turn end!"

"My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his sixth card, examining his hand as he smiled. "I play Berserk Gorilla in Attack Mode!"

Tristan nodded. "Good move. Since Berserk Gorilla has to attack whenever it's on the Field, Joey can attack and take out Warrior Dai Grepher in the process, even if he loses Berserk Gorilla. Guess this Kenshi guy didn't see it. But... I think his face-down card is something big..."

"Me too." Duke replied.

"Hey, ya guys mind keeping it down? I can't hear myself think!" Joey replied to the "peanut gallery", exhaling. He looked at his hand carefully to think of anything else, but he had nothing else yet. "Berserk Gorilla, attack his Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Berserk Gorilla roared, charging forward, but Kenshi smiled. "Trap Card, activate! Sakuretsu Armor!"

SAKURETSU ARMOR Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card when your opponent declares an attack. Destroy the attacking Monster.

In a flash, some kind of armor appeared, clasping around Berserk Gorilla, then exploding!!! The explosion destroyed Berserk Gorilla. "When you attacked, I was able to activate Sakuretsu Armor. Now Berserk Gorilla's gone, and you have no Monsters on your side of the Field. A good move, guy, but I was ready."

"Not too shabby. Now I'll set one card face-down." Joey replied. "Turn end."

Meanwhile, Yugi, Taro, and Melody made it to the house of mirrors, like the map Melody found had pointed out. Taro blinked when looking at the house of mirrors, then turned. "Hey, what the...? Arrows? OK, you know someone wants us to go this way, of course! But why am I gettin' the feeling that 'TRAP' is being screamed out when I see those?"

"I am getting the same feeling too." Melody said. "But if T a is there, we need to find her..."

"She's right. Let's get going then, guys." Yugi began to sprint ahead, the others right behind, Yugi seeing more and more arrows, looking in surprise at the arrows, as he followed them, Melody and Taro running right behind still. Utsugi had his eyes closed under his mask, then carefully took it off, showing his face.

T a looked over at Utsugi, standing carefully. Utsugi then opened his eyes and smiled. "He's here."

Yugi, Melody, and Taro then came running up, Yugi panting, but then smiled when he saw T a. "T a! So this is where Utsugi had you sent to! Are you OK?"

T a nodded, running over to Yugi. "Yes, he actually was quite the gentleman. And he said he had one objective, to Duel you. He didn't say why, but..."

Utsugi opened his eyes slowly and smiled. "Hello, Yugi."  
Yugi turned and blinked. "Utsugi?"

"Yes. I do apologize profusely for all of this. I hope you are not mad at me for doing this. I was told by my father that if you want to do something, you should do it with flair. You are here, and, like Ms. Gardner said, I wish to have a Duel with you. If that is alright with you... since I saw you didn't have your Duel Disk with you..." Utsugi then held out another Duel Disk, tossing it to Yugi. "I brought an extra."

Yugi carefully caught the Duel Disk, as T a carefully walked over to her friends, Yugi sliding the Duel Disk on, then reaching out for his Deck, placing it into the Deck Holder of the Duel Disk. Utsugi smiled, placing his Deck into the Duel Disk's Deck Holder as well, both Duel Disks getting into the ready position.

"Duel!" Yugi and Utsugi both said at the same time, both drawing their first five cards, both examining their hands. Utsugi smiled and bowed. "I'll go first. Draw." Drawing his sixth card, Utsugi began to examine his hand, thinking of the best options, and nodded when he took a Monster from his hand, and slapped it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I summon Magical Beast Cerberus in Attack Mode!"

Appearing in front of Utsugi on four legs roared a dual-headed dog-like creature. One head looked like the head of Anubis, the Egyptian god of the underworld, with light blue fur, while the other head was wolf-like, with purple and dark blue fur, as well as their respective fur on their respective sides, as well as around their respective ankles, with another feature being black and yellow armor, with 2 horn-like extensions from both sides.

MAGICAL BEAST CEREBRUS Light/Spellcaster/4/1400 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: Each time you or your opponent activates 1 Magic Card, put 1 Magic Counter on this card. Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points for each Magic Counter on it. When this card battles, remove all Magic Counters on this card at the end of the Battle Phase.

"While Cerberus is on the Field, each time either of us activate a Magic Card, I place 1 Magic Counter onto Cerberus, raising its' ATK by 500 points for each one I get. There is one catch though. When Cerberus battles, sadly, the Magic Counters are all removed from it at the end of the Battle Phase, Yugi. Sure, it's a 1400 ATK Monster, but my little Spellcaster hound here can become rather powerful with the right goading. Next..." Utsugi took a card from his hand and slid it into his Duel Disk's Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I'll set 1 Magic or Trap Card face-down, then end my turn. If you may be so kind..."

"Will do!" Yugi nodded. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Yugi looked over his hand carefully, and then nodded, taking a Monster from his hand. "I play Neo the Magic Swordsman in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, the magical swordsman, Neo, appeared, slashing the air with his sword. Neo's most noticable features was his silver armor over his chest, with blue and golden shoulder armor, with red orbs in the center. Neo also had brown cloth over his arms and legs, with dark brown gloves and boots, as well as a light silver headband around his forehead, with it barely visible because of his long, blonde hair.

NEO THE MAGIC SWORDSMAN Light/Spellcaster/4/1700 ATK/1000 DEF

'Something isn't right. I think he has a set Quickplay Magic Card, but, I can't be sure. If he does, and he activates it, he'll power up Cerberus to 1900, and I'll lose 200 LP. But... there's also the fact I could activate Rush Recklessly...' Yugi looked at his hand and saw he had Rush Recklessly, just like he said. 'And if I'm right, that'd make his Cerberus 2400, and Neo 2400 also, so they'd end up destroying each other. I'll give it a whirl!'

"Neo! Attack Magical Beast Cerberus!" Yugi cried out, as Neo gripped his sword's handle in both hands, charging forward at Cerberus. Taro smiled and said "Alright! If Yugi's attack goes through, Utsugi's gonna lose 200 Life Points!"

"Now, I play the Quickplay Magic Card!" Utsugi added, tapping a button on his Duel Disk. "Pigeonhopling Books of Spell!"

PIGEONHOLING BOOKS OF SPELL Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Pick up the top 3 cards of your Deck and return those cards to the top of the Deck in any order. Your opponent cannot look at the cards.

"Now, with this Quickplay Magic Card's effect, I can pick up the top three cards of my Deck, and rearrange them to return in any order, but you don't get to see them, Yugi." Utsugi picked up the top three cards of his Deck, seeing he had Royal Magical Library, Pot of Greed, and Anti-Spell. He nodded, seeing his top three cards were just fine the way they were.

ROYAL MAGICAL LIBRARY Light/Spellcaster/4/0 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: Each time you or your opponent activates 1 Magic Card, put 1 Magic Counter on this card. (max. 3). Remove 3 Magic Counters from this card to draw 1 card from your Deck.

ANTI-SPELL Counter Trap Card Effect: Remove 2 Magic Counters on your side of the Field. Negate the activation of a Magic Card and destroy it.

"My cards are going to return the way they were. But also, thanks to Cerberus's effect, its' ATK is increased by 500 points to 1900 points!" Utsugi added, as Cerberus's body began to glow, its' ATK increased by 500 points, from, 1400 to 1900 points. "And now the Battle Phase continues!"

"You may have the stronger Monster now, Utsugi, but I'm gonna make it a draw! Now I play...." Yugi grabbed Rush Recklessly from his hand and thrusted it forward. "I play Rush Recklessly! Now, Neo is powered up to 2400, and so is Cerberus!! That makes their ATK equal... and yu know what that means."

Neo's bdy began to glow, as did Cerberus's, their ATK both at 2400, as Neo slashed at Cerberus, Cerberus doing the same, both then exploding. Utsugi smiled at this move and clapped his hands. "Bravo, Yugi! That was a splendid move!"

"Thanks, Utsugi." Yugi smiled back, taking two cards from his hand. "Now I'll set two cards face-down. And that's the end of my turn."

Meanwhile, back at the circus grounds themselves, Kenshi grinned. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his 3rd card, Kenshi looked at his hand, then took Pot of Greed from his hand and showed it. "Now I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, drawing 2 more cards!" Drawing his two cards, Kenshi smiled, and said "Well, time to rock! Warrior Dai Grepher, attack Joey's Life Points directly!"

Warrior Dai Grepher let out a mighty battle cry, charging forward, but Joey grinned and said "Quickplay Magic Card, activate! Scapegoat!!" In a flash, Scapegoat flipped face-up, and it produced its' four Sheep Tokens, Warrior Dai Grepher slashing the blue Sheep Token in half.

"So the rumors about you were true. You are just one extremely lucky guy, aren'tcha, man? I bet you even beat that Rex Raptor kid with luck."  
"It wasn't luck! Not in the least!" Joey grinned. "It was the raw skill I've developed."

"Nnnnope." Tristan replied. "You won by nailin' Time Wizard's effect, Joe! If that ain't luck, I dunno what is lucky then!"

"Dammit, it wasn't luck, how many times do I gotta say it!?!" Joey snapped back, a bit of frustration crossing his face.

Duke sighed, Mary shaking her head. "My brother Remy heard the same rumor that Joey won on pure luck, since a rookie, which he was at the time, wouldn't have lasted a chance against someone as strong as the 2nd place Japanese champion like Rex Raptor."

"Jeez, is everyone out to get me today!?!" Joey snapped, Kenshi having a look of confusion on his face. "I was just... saying is all... I end my turn then."

"My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his next card and then showed it to Kenshi. "Now I Sacrifice 1 Sheep Token, and activate this! Magic Card, Star Blaster!"

In a flash, the orange Sheep Token bleated, disappearing in a flash, replaced by the winged creature of Star Blaster. "Simple deal, Kenshi. I roll 1 six-sided dice, and then I add the Level of a Monster I sacrifice to activate it, and the dice roll. If I got a Monster whose Level matches the number, I can Special Summon it, but if I don't, I gotta end my turn immediately."

"Blah, blah, blah, blah, let's see if this luck of yours holds out!" Kenshi grinned, as Joey got frustrated, as then then fiendish angel-like creature flipped up the red dice, as it began to spin, then landing onto 6. "Yes!" Joey gritted his teeth. "Level 7! 6 from the dice, 1 from the Sheep Token, and that's 7! Now I Special Summon this!" Joey took his Monster of choice and showed it to Kenshi. "Garnecia Elefantis in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Garnecia Elefantis let out a mighty bellow with its' trunk, slashing the air with its' sword."And now, I'll take advantage of Morale Boost, since, like you said, whenever either of us uses an Equip Magic Card, we gain 1000 LP, and lose 1000 when it's removed from the Field, so I play Mystical Moon, which increases the ATK of a Beast-Warrior-Type Monster equipped with it by 300 points, plus it also raises the equipped Monster's DEF by 300 points, making Garnecia Elefantis 2700 ATK, 2300 DEF!"

In a flash, Garnecia Elefantis's body began to glow, his ATK increasing from 2400 to 2700, then, Joey's Life Points also went from 4000 to 5000. "Now, Garnecia Elefantis, attack Warrior Dai Grepher!"

Garnecia Elefantis leapt into mid-air then came down, slicing Warrior Dai Grepher in half, and dropping Kenshi's Life Points by 700 ponts to 4700, as Morale Boost then began to glow, dropping it again by 1000 points to 3700.

"Next, I'll set a card face-down." In a flash, a Duel Monsters card appeared behind Garnecia Elefantis. "And that's my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Kenshi drew his fifth card, looking at his hand and smiled. "Now I play The Fiend Megacyber, and Special Summon him via his effect! Come out, Megacyber!" In a flash of black energy, a yellow armored warrior, his armor with black marks like thunderbolts on the chest plate, a mouth-like piece on the stomach, as well as yellow and red adornments down the lower part of his body and his waist, his legs covered by a black cloth, the rest of his body black, with two horns on his shoulders, one on his jaw of sorts, and two curved designs on his helmet.

THE FIEND MEGACYBER Dark/Warrior/6/2200 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: You can Special Summon this card from your hand if your opponent has at least 2 more Monsters on the Field than you do.

"Since you have 2 Sheep Tokens and Garnecia Elefantis on the Field, that allows me to Special Summon Megacyber here, and now, I'm gonna add a little more oomph to his game! I play this Equip Magic Card, Axe of Despair!!"

Appearing in Megacyber's hands was a green covered axe, with what appeared to be a face on it, with red eyes on the face, as Megacyber's body began to glow, his ATK going from 2200 to 3200. "Also! Thanks to me playing this Equip Magic Card, Morale Boost activates, and I gain 1000 Life Points!" Kenshi grinned, as Morale Boost shined, his Life Points going to 4700.

"Now, for Axe of Despair! The demonic power of the axe increases the ATK of a Monster equipped with it by 1000 points, and when it's sent from the Field to the Graveyard, I can Sacrifice a Monster to get it back to the top of my Deck. Simply put, a handy Equip Magic Card!" Kenshi thrusted his hand forward and said "Megacyber! Attack Garnecia Elefantis!"

Garnecia Elefantis was then sliced right in half, Joey crying out as he first lost 500 Life Points, his Life Points at 4500, and then, thanks to Morale Boost, his Life Points dropped down to 3500.

Kenshi grinned, thrusting his fist in the air. "Turn end!"

"My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his next card and sighed, just taking a card and setting it face-down. "I'll set a Monster card face-down... and end my turn..."

"Alright, time to pick it up! My turn! Draw!" Kenshi drew his next card, and showed it to Joey. "I summon Different Dimension Survivor in Attack Mode!"

DIFFERENT DIMENSION SURVIVOR Dark/Warrior/4/1800 ATK/200 DEF Effect: If this face-up card on your side of the Field is removed from play, this card is Special Summoned to the owner's side of the Field during the End Phase.

In a flash, a short blonde-haired man appeared, having silver armor adorned over his body, with a tan cape-like cloak over his body. "Different Dimension Survivor may not be strong on his own, but he is more than enough in my Deck! Here goes! Megacyber, attack his set Monster!"

Megacyber charged forward, still gripping Axe of Despair in his hand, slashing Joey's set Monster, Armored Lizard, right in half, blowing it up with ease.

"Different Dimension Survivor, go after one of those Sheep Tokens!" Different Dimension Survivor rushed forward, forming a pure sword of dark energy, then slashed the blue Sheep Token on Joey's side of the Field, Joey crying out from the attack. Kenshi then looked at the other 3 cards in his hand and said "I end my turn with that!"

"My turn! Draw..." Joey drew his next card, having drawn Little Winguard. He now had 2 cards in his hand, and remembered his set Magic Card, Treasure of Destiny, aka Roll of Fate. He knew he needed to draw a few more cards, but... at this point, he was a little iffy. 'Yugi, man, where the heck are ya!? Why ain'tcha here to give some support?!'

A tense air came from around Joey as he knew he was in a tough spot because of Kenshi. Knowing he would need some support, he just had a bad feeling that this Duel may end...

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	41. Chapter 41

At the House of Mirrors, Utsugi nodded. "My turn! Draw!" Looking at his hand, Utsugi took a Monster and slapped it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I now summon Blast Magician in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a blood red-cloakd magician with a curved magician's cap, the rest of his robes black, with black and red along his arms as he held a crooked staff in his hand, grunting.

BLAST MAGICIAN Fire/Spellcaster/4/1400 ATK/1700 DEF Effect: Each time you or your opponent activates 1 Magic Card, put 1 Magic Counter on this card. Remove any number of Magic Counters to destroy 1 face-up Monster on the Field with an ATK equal to or less than 700 points x the number of removed Magic Counters.

"Blast Magician's effect is simple, Yugi. For each Magic Card we play, he gets a Magic Counter, which then I can remove to destroy 1 face-up Monster with an ATK equal to or less than 700 times the number of Magic Counters removed from him. And he also will make a good attacker! Blast Magician! Attack Yugi's Life Points directly!" Blast Magician raised up his staff, a blaze of fire around the end of it, Utsugi calling out his attack. "Blazing Flame!"

A blast of fire came at Yugi, as Yugi quickly grabbed a card from his hand and showed it to Utsugi. "I now activate Kuriboh's effect, discarding him to the Graveyard! Now all damage I take in battle is 0!" Blast Magician's spell of fire came flying at Yugi, but then Kuriboh popped up, blocking the attack, and exploding.

"Alright, Yugi!" Taro grinned. "Nice counter."  
"Way to go!" Melody and T a both said at the same time.  
"I concur with your friends, Yugi. That was brillaint. I knew this wouldn't be easy in the least." Utsugi smiled.

"Yeah, and now it's time for me to play a combo!" Yugi grinned as he tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "Set card, activate! Call of the Haunted! With Call of the Haunted, I'll Special Summon Kuriboh!!"

In a flash, Kuriboh appeared onto the Field, in Attack Mode, blinking. "Kuri, kuri."  
"And to add more of a defense, I play the Quickplay Magic Card, Multiply!"

MULTIPLY Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 face-up "Kuriboh" on your side of the Field. Special Summon a "Kuriboh Token (Fiend-Type/DARK /Level 1/ATK 300/DEF 200)" in each open Monster Card Zone on your side of the Field. These tokens cannot be used in a Sacrifice Summon.

"With Kuriboh as a sacrifice to Multiply, Utsugi, I can now Special Summon 5 Kuriboh Tokens, since I have 5 free Monster Card Zones open! That means my Life Points will be well-protected for the time being, even if I know you get a Magic Counter for Blast Magician."

"That's right." Utsugi nodded, as Kuriboh exploded, only to be replaced by 5 more Kuribohs on Yugi's side of the Field.

"And now, Yugi, I'll use Blast Magician's effect to destroy one of your Kuriboh Tokens!" Utsugi smiled, as Blast Magician began to glow, his Magic Counter removed, then a blast of fire wrapped around one of Yugi's Kuriboh tokens, burning it to ashes, then it exploded! Utsugi smiled. "One less Monster to worry about. Now, I gracefully end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, just having two cards in his hand. He knew Utsugi had 4 cards in his hand. Yugi looked over the cards in his hand, just having Magician's Circle and Magical Textbooks. He sighed, then nodded. "I'll set two cards face-down, keeping my Kuriboh Tokens in Defense Mode. That's the end of my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Utsugi smiled as he looked at Pot of Greed. He held it up and smiled. "Now I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed! As you know, this lets the user draw 2 cards." Utsugi then drew two cards, getting Anti-Spell and Magic Blast. He smiled and then looked at Yugi. "As you also know, since I played a Magic Card, Blast Magician gains a Magic Counter, so that means if I want, I can use his effect, and destroy another Kuriboh Token. I will then." Blast Magician began to glow, as then a blast of fire destroyed another Kuriboh Token! "I will now battle! Blast Magician! Attack another Kuriboh Token!"

Blast Magician shot forward, gripping his staff, as Yugi saw his chance. "Trap Card, activate! Magician's Circle!"

MAGICIAN'S CIRCLE Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card when a Spellcaster-Type Monster attacks. Both players can Special Summon 1 Spellcaster-Type Monster with an ATK of 2000 or less from their Decks to the Field.

"When a Spellcaster-Type Monster attacks, I can activate Magician's Circle, and both of us can then Special Summon a Spellcaster-Type Monster from our Decks that has an ATK of 2000 or less!" Suddenly, a large glass kind of platform appeared, with the Spellbinding Circle on it appeared, shining as Yugi pulled his Deck out, examining his choices and said "I'll Special Summon Mystical Elf in Defense Mode!"

In a flash, Mystical Elf appeared on Yugi's side of the Field, with his remaining three Kuriboh Tokens, as Utsugi pulled his Deck out, examining which Spellcaster-Type Monster he'd Special Summon. He smiled and then showed Yugi his Moinster. "And I'll Special Summon Rapid-Fire Magician in Attack Mode with Magician's Circle's effect!"

Appearing next to Blast Magician was another magician with two staffs in his hands, both with claw-like curves around two orbs, the left one having orange, the other having green, as his robes were black with golden lining along it, as well as a simple magician's cap, with light purple hair.

RAPID-FIRE MAGICIAN Dark/Spellcaster/4/1600 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: While this card is face-up on the Field, inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points each time you activate 1 Normal Magic Card.

"I think now I will end my Battle Phase." Utsugi said, looking at all other cards in his hand. He saw one of the Monsters he had in his hand earlier and smiled, slapping it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I now also Normal Summon Skilled Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"

Appearing next to Continuous Blast Magician was a sorcerer in black and yellow armor on his chest and shoulders, with 3 orbs to represent Magic Counters, one each on the shoulder armor, one along the black robes along the rest of his body, with his dark cap atop of his head, holding a staff in his gloved hands, with the staff also having an orb at the end.

SKILLED DARK MAGICIAN Dark/Spellcaster/4/1900 ATK/1700 DEF Effect: Each time you or your opponent activates 1 Magic Card, put 1 Magic Counter on this card (max. 3). Sacrifice this card with 3 Magic Counters on it to Special Summon 1 "Dark Magician" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.

"Now, I will play the Magic Card, Magic Blast!" Utsugi added, smiling. "Magic Blast can only work when I have 1 Spellcaster-Type Monster on my side of the Field. Then, for each Spellcaster-Type Monster on my side of the Field, you will take damage of 200 points. I have 3 on my side of the Field, so that means you take 600 points!"

MAGIC BLAST Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when there is at least 1 Spellcaster-Type Monster on your side of the Field. For each Spellcaster-Type Monster on your side of the Field, inflict 200 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points. While this card is in your Graveyard, instead of drawing a card during your Draw Phase, you may add this card to your hand.

"But also, that damage will be 400 points more because of Rapid-Fire Magician's effect. His effect is whenever I play a Normal Magic Card, he'll inflict 400 points of damage to my opponent's Life Points, so that means the damage from his effect and Magic Blast will be 1000 points, Yugi! Get ready... because here we go!" Utsugi thrusted his hand forward, his Spellcasters all resting their staffs on one another's, a bright light of black energy wrapping around the ends of the staffs. Yugi looked on, his eyes shrinking back as he said aloud. "Oh snap..."

"FIRE!!" Utsugi said, the blast shooting out, smashing hard into Yugi, who cried out from the impact, T a, Melody, and Taro looking in shock as they called out to him. "YUGI!!"

After the use of Magic Blast, the smoke cleared, Yugi groaning slightly from the impact, his Life Points at 3000 now, the first Life Point loss so far in his Duel with Utsugi. Utsugi smiled and said "Now, I will set a card face-down, and end my turn.", a Duel Monsters card flashing behind Skilled Dark Magician, Blast Magician, and Continuous Blast Magician. "By the way, Yugi, now Blast Magician has another Magic Counter, and Skilled Dark Magician has one as well. And also, if I choose to, with Magic Blast, while it's in my Graveyard, in my Draw Phase, I can add it to my hand instead of drawing. But now, it's your turn."

Yugi coughed for a bit, then smiled. "Whoo! That was a nice move!"

Utsugi blinked, but soon smiled as well. "Thank you. My Spellcaster Deck is made to make use of these kinds of situations, Yugi. I know you ran some solid Spellcaster-Type Monsters also, yes?"

"I still do! But I don't like to rely on them all the time! Now it's my turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, getting Graceful Charity. He smiled and said "Magic Card, activate! Graceful Charity! Now, I can draw 3 cards, then discard any two to the Graveyard!"

"Not so fast. With the Magic Card's activation, my Blast Magician and Skilled Dark Magician gain a Magic Counter each!" In a flash, Skilled Dark Magician and Blast Magician's bodies began to glow, indicating the activation of a Magic Counter, as the other shoulder armor of Skilled Dark Magician's began to glow as well, a sign of 2 Magic Counters. "But also, your Magic Card lets me do this! Counter Trap Card, activate! Anti-Spell!"

In a flash, Blast Magician's body began to glow, then shatter, but remained on the Field, as Utsugi explained. "Now I just used Anti-Spell's effect, by removing 2 Magic Counters on my side the Field. Now, the activation of a Magic Card is negated, and the Magic Card itself is destroyed, Yugi!"

Yugi blinked, but then slid Graceful Charity into his Graveyard slot, then slashed his arm. "Now I'll activate another Magic Card! Quickplay Magic Card, Magical Textbooks! When this Magic Card is activated, I can discard my hand to the Graveyard to shuffle my Deck, then draw a card. If it's a Magic Card, it's automatically activated! Since I have no hand to discard, I'll just shuffle my Deck."

MAGICAL TEXTBOOKS Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Discard your hand to the Graveyard, then shuffle your Deck. After shuffling your Deck, draw the top card of your Deck. If the card drawn is a Magic Card, immediately activate it.

Yugi pulled his Deck out, shuffling it carefully, and once he was done, he slid it into his Duel Disk's Deck holder, then drew a card, smiling as he showed it to Utsugi. "Now I have drawn Coins from Heaven! With it, we both draw til we have 6 cards in our hand! I have no cards with its' activation, so I draw 6 cards, and you have 4 cards in your hand, so you get to draw 2!"

Yugi drew his six cards swiftly, while Utsugi drew his two cards, Yugi looking at his replenished hand, while his friends whooped with joy. "Now that Yugi's got a hand, that means he can figure a way to best Utsugi's cards! Let's hope he drew cards he would need..." T a replied, clasping her hands together.

"He will. This is my cuz you're talkin' about, T a, and Yuge really has game!" Taro grinned brightly.

Looking at his hand, Yugi took a Monster and nodded. "I now Sacrifice Mystical Elf, and I Summon Armed Dragon LV5 in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Mystical Elf disappeared, Armed Dragon LV5 taking her place as he punched the air, letting a growl as he landed in front of Yugi.

"Now I'll take a Monster from my hand, discard it, and destroy a Monster whose ATK is equal to or less than the ATK of my discarded Monster! My Monster is Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, who has an ATK of 1400, so I'll destroy Blast Magician! Armed Dragon LV5, luanch your Destroy Fire!!"

The drills on Armed Dragon LV5's body began to spin, but suddenly, shot off like missiles, blasting at Blast Magician, destroying him. "Now, Armed Dragon LV5, attack Rapid-Fire Magician! Armed Punisher!!"

Armed Dragon LV5 charged at Rapid-Fire Magician, pulling his arm back then punched Continuous Blast Magician, blowing him to smithereens, as well as dropping Utsugi's Life Points by 800 points to 3200. "Now I'll set a card face-down and end my turn. Also, since it's my End Phase, and Armed Dragon LV5 destroyed a Monster as a result of battle, I'll send him to the Graveyard, and Special Summon from my Deck, Armed Dragon LV7!!"

In a flash, Armed Dragon LV7 took Armed Dragon LV5's place, letting out a mighty roar as well, then getting onto all fours as T a, Melody, and Taro all smiled. "Alright! No way can most Monsters take down Armed Dragon LV7! Yugi's got him in a tight sitch, and it's not like even summoning a Dark Magician via Skilled Dark Magician will help him now! He's just got 2500 ATK.. No way can he win!"

"My turn." Utsugi said, rather politely, as was his style, drawing his next card, as he looked at Yugi and smiled. "Trust me, I can make it happen. I now Sacrifice Skilled Dark Magician and Special Summon Dark Magician via his effect!"

Skilled Dark Magician began to shine, then disappeared, as in his place stood a Dark Magician, but this one was different in appearance from the Dark Magician Yugi had in his Deck. This one had dark purple robes, with neon pink lining along his robes, as well as light green skin and blonde hair.

"Next, I will play a Permanent Magic Card from my hand! Activate Magic Sanctuary!" Utsugi added.

MAGIC SANCTUARY (English Name: Spell Sanctuary)  
Permanent Magic Card Effect: When this card is activated, both players can add 1 Magic Card from his/her Deck to his/her hand. Then the Decks are shuffled. While this card is face-up on the Field, players can play Magic Cards during other players' turns.

In a flash, Magic Sanctuary began to glow brightly. "Now, we add 1 Magic Card from our Decks to our hands, then the Decks are shuffled."  
Yugi pulled his Deck out, as did Utsugi, Melody looking on. "I wonder what kind of Magic Card Utsugi and Yugi will get... it means all kinds of Magic Cards for either of them to grab from their Decks."

Yugi saw his Magic Card of choice, and pulled it out, as Utsugi did the same, both of them shuffling their Decks, as Utsugi smiled and took his Magic Card and held it up. "Now I play the Magic Card, Graceful Charity, which lets me draw 3 cards, then discard 2 after I've drawn." Utsugi drew 3 cards, then looked at his cards, and took Royal Magical Library and a copy of Book of Secret Arts, showing them to Yugi. "Now I discard these two cards; Royal Magical Library and Book of Secret Arts from my hand to the Graveyard!"

Looking at his cards, Utsugi took one of his other Monsters and showed it to Yugi. "Now I'll remove from play Royal Magical Library and Skilled Dark Magician, in order to Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer!"

In a flash, a swirl of black light appeared beside Dark Magician, as there stood a black adorned sorcerer with light pink lining on his cloth, as well as bat-like wings on his cap, straps wrapping around his light purple body, and black pants, as he cackled.

CHAOS SORCERER Dark/Spellcaster/6/2300 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only Special Summoned by removing 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK Monster in your Graveyard from play. Once, during your turn, you can remove 1 face-up Monster on the Field from play. If you activate this effect, this card cannot attack during this turn.

"Next, I play Thousand Knives! This Magic Card can only work if Dark Magician is on the Field, and now I'll destroy Armed Dragon LV7!" Utsugi said, as suddenly, knives shot out, impaling Armed Dragon LV7, and destroying him, leaving Yugi just with 2 Kuriboh Tokens!

"I still haven't performed my Normal Summon for the turn. I now summon Hannibal Necromancer in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a dark blue skinned creature, with yellow spikes protruding from the back of its' head and neck, its' shoulders, and the back of its' elbows, with similiar colored teeth, and horns, as well as two more spikes from its' chest and claws on its' feet. Hannibal Necromancer also had a green orb in the center of its' forehead, with 2 bug-like red eyes as it roared.

HANNIBAL NECROMANCER Dark/Spellcaster/4/1400 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, put 1 Magic Counter on it (max. 1). You can remove 1 Magic Counter from this card to destroy 1 face-up Trap Card on the Field.

"Now, since I have Normal Summoned Hannibal Necromancer, he gains 1 Magic Counter. I can remove this Magic Counter to destroy 1 face-up Trap Card on the Field. But it's time for some damage! Dark Magician, Chaos Sorcerer, attack the Kuriboh Tokens!!" Dark Magician raised up his staff, sending out a blast of green energy to blow up Yugi's Kuriboh Token, and Chaos Sorcerer shooting a shot of dark energy from his hand to do the same, leaving Yugi's LP wide open.

"Hannibal Necromancer!!! Attack his Life Points directly!!" Utsugi called out. In a flash, Hannibal Necromancer leapt at Yugi, its' right claw beginning to glow brightly, as it slashed at Yugi, who quickly waved his hand. "Trap Card, activate! Draining Shield!" A barrier quickly wrapped around Yugi, blocking Hannibal Necromancer's attack.

"Now I can gain 1400 Life Points, equal to the ATK of Hannibal Necromancer, as well as it negating its' attack, so my Life Points go to 4400, and I'm safe!" Yugi smiled, as Hannibal Necromancer landed down between Dark Magician and Chaos Sorcerer.

"An impressive move, Yugi. But then again, I guess I expected nothing less from you, since you are the Duel King. I look forward to seeing what else you will show. Next, I will set a card face-down, and end my turn!" Utsugi smiled, sliding a card face-down behind his 3 Monsters.

Joey still contemplated his choices, and finally went with it. "I activate my set Magic Card, Treasure of Destiny!" In a flash, Treasure of Destiny flipped up, revealing the art of a knight on the lower left hand, with a princess on the upper right, and in the center, a white dice. "When this Magic Card is activated, I can roll a six-sided dice, and draw the same number of cards equal to the dice roll's result, but as a cost, I also gotta remove the same number of cards in my Deck from play... here goes..."

In a flash, the white dice from Treasure of Destiny's art bounced forward, rolling, then spinning on its' side, then landed onto 6 as Joey exhaled. "Alright! 6, so I get to draw 6 cards, then remove 6 from play!" First, Joey drew his six cards, then removed his 6 cards of choice from play as he examined his hand. He then took one of his cards from his hand and showed it.

"Now I activate the Magic Card, Giant Trunade! Now all Magic and Trap Cards are returned from our side of the Field to our hand, but that just means you since I got no Magic and Trap Cards on my side of the Field!" In a blast, Kenshi cried out, getting Morale Boost and Axe of Despair back to his hand, dropping The Fiend Megacyber's ATK down to 2200 from 3200. Kenshi also now had 5 cards in his hand. Joey then took Little Winguard, making his next move. "Now I play Little Winguard in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Little Winguard appeared on the Field, slashing his small sword as he had his shield around his right arm. Little Winguard had a blue cap on his head, his light green armor on his chest, and as well as around his boots and his gloves being the same color with yellow eyes being the only thing visible with black aroudn the rest of it, as well as black along his chest and armos, with light purple leggings, as well as a blue cape and boots, with wings on his achilles' heels, and on the ends of his armor.

LITTLE WINGUARD Wind/Warrior/4/1400 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: During each of your End Phases, you can change the Battle Position of this card.

"Now I also add this bad boy to the mix! I play the Normal Magic Card, Shield and Sword!" Joey held up his Magic Card, which had art of orange armor, with an orange orb with attack written in lower case near the shield, with a red arrow curving to a blue orb with defense written in lower case, a blue arrow going towards the orange orb.

SHIELD AND SWORD Normal Magic Card Effect: Switch the original ATK and DEF of all face-up Monsters on the Field until the End Phase. All additions and subtractions to ATK and DEF due to card effects are implied to the new ATK and DEF. Monsters Summoned after this card's activation are excluded.

"Now Little Winguard, Megacyber, and Different Dimension Survivor are going to have their ATK and DEF swapped with one another, so now, DEF becomes ATK, and ATK becomes DEF! In other words, now Little Winguard has an ATK of 1800, Megacyber an ATK of 1200, and Survivor an ATK of 200!"

Little Winguard - 1800/1400 Different Dimension Survivor - 200/1800 The Fiend Megacyber - 1200/2200

"Little Winguard, attack Fiend Megacyber!" Joey cried out. Little Winguard then flew forward, slashing The Fiend Megacyber right in half, dropping Kenshi's Life Points by 600 points to 4100.

"Uh... OK, that was odd..." Kenshi blinked. "You coulda done more damage to me by putting me down by 1600 points by taking out Different Dimension Survivor. But whatever floats your boat I guess, Joey... kind of a bad tactical move."

"A bad tactical move? Ha!" Joey stuck his tongue out. "Now I'll end my turn, and use Little Winguard's effect, changing him to Defense Mode." And with that, Little Winguard knelt down, his card appearing underneath him in a horizontal position, with Shield and Sword's effect ending.

"Ya know, Kenshi has a good point." Duke nodded. "I mean, I can see that Different Dimension Survivor won't be able to destroy Little Winguard, but that just means Kenshi can Sacrifice him for another Monster now."

"He's up to something. I can tell it..." Mary replied.

"My turn. Draw." Kenshi drew his next card, and now had 6 cards. He exhaled and smiled. "Oohhh! I'm gonna play this! Magic Card, activate!" Taking Axe of Despair from his hand, Kenshi slid it down onto his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, as it slid into his Graveyard. "Magic Restoration! By discarding an Equip Card from my hand, I can add 1 Normal Magic Card from my Graveyard, so I'll add back.. Pot of Greed to my hand."

Kenshi held it up and smiled. "Now I play Pot of Greed, drawing 2 cards!" Kenshi now had 6 cards again, getting Grade Sword and Gilford the Legend. He looked at his cards and grinned. "Now I play the Equip Magic Card, Grade Sword!"

In a flash, a katana appeared in the hands of Different Dimension Survivor, his ATK increasing by 2100 points. "Grade Sword can only be equipped to a Warrior-Type Monster, increasing the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 300 points, and there's much more... if I Sacrifice the Equipped Monster to a Sacrifice Summon of a Warrior-Type Monster with 2 or more Sacrifices needed, it can act as 2! So, I'll Sacrifice Different Dimension Survivor to play this!"

Different Dimension Survivor then disappeared, as Kenshi held up his card of choice. "Gilford the Legend! In Attack Mode!"

Appearing in Different Dimension Survivor's place was a warrior dark grey armor on his shoulders and legs, with spiked bracelets around his wrists, along the top of his boots, and also along his boots. He had a larger version of Legendary Sword in his hand as well, a black mask over his face with two large horns on top, as well as black over his chest and legs.

GILFORD THE LEGEND Earth/Warrior/8/2600 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned. When this card is Normal Summoned, you can equip as many appropriate Equip Magic Cards from your Graveyard as possible to Warrior-Type Monster(s) on your side of the Field.

"Now... I can use Gilford the Legend's effect, and equip him with as many Equip Magic Cards from my Graveyard as I can! Normally, it'd be Warriors, but as you can see, he's all alone of my Warrior-Type Monsters! So first up... Axe of Despair!!" In a flash, Gilford the Legend's sword changed, becoming Axe of Despair, his ATK increased by 1000 points to 3600.

"Next! Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade!" In a flash, Axe of Despair was gone from Gilford the Legend's hands and a much large Divine Sword Phoenix Blade was in its' place.

"And lastly, Grade Sword!!" In a flash, Divine Sword Phoenix Blade was gone and a larger Grade Sword appeared, with Gilford the Legend's attack now at 4200 points.

"4-4-4-4-4200 ATK!?!" Joey gulped. "Hoo boy... this... is not gonna be good at all..."

"Nope. Not for you at least, Joey. Now you can see just what my Equip Warrior Deck is capable of. This is only a small taste, and I know I won't win by attacking Little Winguard, but... I think I should, since I know you may use him for a Sacrifice too next turn, so he's gotta go. Gilford the Legend!! Attack Little Wingard!" Gilford the Legend let out a mighty cry, raising up his sword, and slamming it right onto Little Winguard, destroying him.

"Turn end!" Kenshi smiled, having 4 cards in his hand.

"Holy crap... that guy just summoned a Level 8 Monster, and he made it 4200 when it was 2600 originally! He's very good. It's like, he's tactical BUT also trusts his instincts! What a deadly combo! And Joey..." Tristan said, seeing the look of nervousness on his friend's face, nodded. "He's nervous because of how good this guy really is."

"I see it too. My brother has done something similar before with one of his Decks..." Mary replied. "And yet, this monsieur Kenshi has done more in just one shot with Gilford the Legend than my brother Remy has been able to do... that makes me think that Joey is in trouble, non?"

Joey gulped, but then overheard his friends and snapped back to them. "When I want some advice I'll ask for it!!!"  
"Man, you sure are feeling pressured, aren'tcha?" Kenshi added, scratching his head.  
"Whaddya mean pressured?" Asked Joey, blinking.

"Well, I can tell you're worried about losing to me. But you don't gotta be, so loosen up a little, and quit being stiff!" Kenshi smiled. "You did place second in Duelist Kingdom after all, but all I'm gettin' is you bein' tense. Maybe Keith was wrong about you when he said you'd be a nice opponent to fight!"

"Huh? Keith?"

"Yeah, Bandit Keith Howard. I'm only doin' this as a favor to the guy. he helped bail me and my brother, Utsugi, out of jail once when we were in New York City. So, you really gotta understand, I know the guy is a jerk, he can be a dickweed too, but I'm just doin' what's right... both me AND my brother are. So nothin' personal, man. But... if you don't lighten up, I may just end it here and now."

"My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his next card, looking at it, a bit worried, feeling tense, until suddenly, he slapped himself in the face with both hands. 'Man... this guy is right... I am too tense. Why the hell am I so tense?! Normally, I'd be enjoying myself, but since Atem's been gone, I ain't been able to... what the hell? Is it because I wanan be like he was? That's stupid... Taro was right when he said I should be myself... and that's what I gotta be!'

Looking at his hand, Joey saw he had not many Monsters that could best Gilford the Legend. But... he did have Fiber Jar in his hand! If Kenshi attacked it, they'd have to add back all cards from their hands and Graveyards to their Decks, reshuffle them, and start fresh! He chuckled and then smiled. "Now I'll set one Monster face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn, draw." Kenshi drew his next card and said "Gilford the Legend, attack his Monster!" Gilford the Legend leapt into the air, pulling his large katana up as well, then slashing downward at Joey's set card, which then revealed itself to be a tree-like pod, with "branches" all over, and green leaves at the top.

"Ha! You just activated Fiber Jar's Flip Effect! Now we gotta add all cards on our sides of the Field, as well as in our Graveyards and in our hands to our Decks, reshuffle 'em, then draw 5 new cards! Think of it as a... restart."

FIBER JAR Earth/Plant/3/500 ATK/500 DEF Effect: Flip: Both players add their respective cards on the Field, in their hands, and in their Graveyards with their respective Decks and shuffle them. Then both players draw 5 cards from their shuffled Decks.

Kenshi nodded as he and Joey gathered up all of their cards, shuffling their Decks, Tristan, Duke, and Mary looking on. "Well, at least adding cards from their Fields, hands, and Graveyards helped Joey get rid of Gilford the Legend, since it was gonna prove to be a pain in the ass for him..." Tristan said.

"Yeah, but the luck of the draw is next... with 5 new cards, that means, one of them has to get a Monster at least to protect his Life Points..." Mary added. "I've used Fiber Jar before in my Plant Deck, so I know how much luck you'd need to be able to get a Monster from its' effect since most Decks are 40 cards. The odds are insurmountable at times..."

Kenshi drew his five new cards, Joey doing the same. Kenshi saw he had no plans yet, and needed to wai, so he exhaled, and said "Turn end!"

"My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his sixth card and grinned. "Now I play Landstar Forces! With this Magic Card, I can Special Summon all Level 3 or lower Monsters from my hand that include Landstar in their card name! I just happen to have 2 in my hand also, so what a lucky break for me! Here we go! Knight of Landstar, and Rilfeman of Landstar!"

LANDSTAR FORCES Normal Magic Card Effect: Special Summon all Level 3 or less Monsters from your hand that include "Landstar" in their card name to the Field in face-up Attack Mode.

In a flash, two Monsters similar in appearance to Swordsman of Landstar appeared, one in armor, wielding two lances, the other having a brigadier's hat and dark brown uniform and such, holding a rifle in his hands, landing in front of Joey.

RIFLEMAN OF LANDSTAR (Real English Name: Brigadier of Landstar)  
Earth/Warrior/3/900 ATK/1200 DEF

KNIGHT OF LANDSTAR Earth/Warrior/3/1000 ATK/500 DEF

"Here we go! Guys, direct attack!" Joey cried out, as Knight of Landstar slashed across Kenshi, dropping his LP to 3700 points, and then, Rifleman of Landstar aimed his rifle at Kenshi, hitting him for another 900 points, putting him at 2800 points, as Kenshi gritted his teeth. Joey looked at the other 3 cards in his hand, and just as a procaution, took a card then set it face-down. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Kenshi drew his sixth card, and blinked, then grinned. "Bingo!" He cried out in English, very clearly. "I play Armed Samurai Ben Kei in Attack Mode!" In a flash, appeared a samurai wielding two naginata, one in each hand, as well as having a samurai sheathed at his right side, and an array of weapons in a wicker basket. Ben Kei also had green robes on, with red armor on underneath, gold along the lowest part, with black steel wristguards and leg guards with straw sandals, and white pants, as well as four arrows, one of each of his knees, two in his upper right shoulder and one on his left.

ARMED SAMURAI BEN KEI Dark/Warrior/4/500 ATK/800 DEF Effect: In addition to a normal attack, this card can attack during the same Battle Phase as many times as the number of Equip Cards equipped to this card.

"Huh? An ATK... of 500?" Joey blinked in surprise. "How come you didn't play that small fry in Defense Mode?"  
"Ohhh, you are gonna see he isn't a small fry for too long." Kenshi grinned, then took 3 cards from his hand of 5 and showed them to Joey. "Now I will play THESE Equip Magic Cards! Legendary Sword! Black Pendant! Lightning Blade!"

In a flash, a black pendant with gold aroind it wrapped around Ben Kei's neck, increasing his ATK from 500 to 1000. And then, Legendary Sword appeared in his left hand, bringing his ATK up to 1300, his DEF to 1100, as Lightning Blader appeared in his right hand, crackling with lightning, the handle of the sword red, with gold along the edges of the blade and handle, curved almost like lightning bolts, bringing Ben Kei's stats to a final total of 2100/1100!

"Now, it's time for you to see Armed Samurai Ben Kei's true power. For every Equip Magic Card on him, he can attack as many times in addition to his original attack! So... he has 3 Equip Magic Cards, meaning... he can attack a whopping 4 times; his regular attack, and 3 for each of my Equip Magic Cards! Go, Ben Kei, attack Knight of Landstar!" Ben Kei leapt into the air, slashing Knight of Landstar in half, dropping Joey's Life Points by 1000 to 2700, as Ben Kei continued his attack. "Now for Rifleman!" Ben Kei then charged, slashing Rilfeman of Landstar in half, destroing him and dropping Joey's LP to 1500.

"Now... the final attack! Too bad. I expected a little more than this. Aw, well! A beggar can't be a chooser! Armed Samurai Ben Kei! Player direct attack!!" Ben Kei heeded his Duelist's command, charging right at Joey, leaping into the air, coming down at him.

Meanwhile, it was now Yugi's turn. "My turn, draw!" Yugi drew his next card, then slid his card of choice into hsi Magic/Trap Card Zone. "Now I play the Magic Card, Level Tuning!"

LEVEL TUNING Normal Magic Card Effect: When this card is activated, your opponent draws 2 cards. Special Summon 1 Monster in your Graveyard that includes "LV" in its' card name, ignoring the Summoning conditions, to your side of the Field. During this turn, the Special Summoend Monster cannot attack, and cannot activate or use its' effect(s).

"When this card is activated, you start it off by drawing two cards, Utsugi." Utsugi nodded, drawing two cards from the top of his Deck. "And next, I get to Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard that includes LV in its' card name! So time for Armed Dragon LV7 to make his return!"

In a rumble, Armed Dragon LV7 reappeared on Yugi's side of the Field, roaring. "But I can't attack or use any of Armed Dragon's effects, so I'll take a card and set it face-down. That's the end of my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Utsugi smiled. "Now, Yugi, it's time for me to turn the tide. I will Sacrifice Dark Magician and Chaos Sorcerer for a Special Summon." In a flash, Dark Magician and Chaos Sorcerer began to swirl together in a ball of light, as Utsugi held up his card of choice. "I Special Summon Sorcerer of Dark Magic, in Attack Mode!"

And in crashes of thunder appeared a black armored sorcerer, with dark green-blue robes along his chest and down like a loincloth, light purple lining along his arm, and a long green staff with 3 claw-like curves near a blue orb as he slashed the air with his gloved hands.

SORCERER OF DARK MAGIC Dark/Spellcaster/9/3200 ATK/2800 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Sacrificing 2 Level 6 or higher Spellcaster-Type Monsters on your side of the Field. As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, you can negate the activation of Trap Cards and destroy them.

"Next, I will Sacrifice Hannibal Necromancer to summon Magical Marionette in Attack Mode!"

MAGICAL MARIONETTE Dark/Spellcaster/5/2000 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: Each time you or your opponent activates 1 Magic Card, put 1 Magic Counter on this card. Increase the ATK of this card by 200 points for each Magic Counter on this card. Also, remove 2 Magic Counters from this card to destroy 1 Monster on the Field.

In place of Hannibal Necromancer stood a dark purple armored puppeteer, with a red cloak over the rest of his body save for his claws and face, the face having a curved left eye, and a round right eye. The claws he had showed strings attached to a small silver marionette, holding two knives in its' hands.

"Now I'll play a Magic Card from my hand!" Yugi said, grabbing one of his Magic Cards, able to activate it thanks to Magic Sanctuary's effect. "I play Mage Power! This Equip Magic Card can increase the ATK and DEF of a Monster equipped with it by 500 points for each Magic and Trap Card on my side of the Field! Since I got 2, itself, and my set card, that means Armed Dragon LV7 is now 3800 ATK., 2000 DEF."

MAGE POWER Equip Magic Card Effect: Increase the ATK and DEF of the equipped Monster by 500 points for each Magic and Trap Card on your side of the Field.

"Impressive. You also gave me a Magic Counter for Magical Marionette, Yugi." Utsugi smiled, as the small marionette began to glow. "For each Magic Counter this card has on it, its' ATK is increased by 200 points. As well as if I have 2 Magic Counters on it, I can remove them, and destroy 1 Monster on the Field, regardless. Now it's time I revealed my Trap Card! Activate, Pitch-Black Power Stone!"

PITCH-BLACK POWER STONE Continuous Trap Card Effect: After activation, put 3 Magic Counters on this card. During each of your turns, you can move 1 of this card's Magic Counters to another face-up card on the Field that you can put a Magic Counter on. When there are no Magic Counters on this card, this card is destroyed.

Appearing on a pedestal behind his Monsters was a large black stone with a golden symbol on it, one also featured on some of his Monsters. This symbol was of 3 triangles, with round bottoms, each going in 3 ways,while a formation in the center, like a bolt with a circle appeared.

"Pitch-Black Power Stone, when activated, has 3 Magic Counters on it, Yugi, and once per turn, I can move 1 of them to a card that I can put Magic Counters on, but once it has no Magic Counters, it's destroyed. I'll just move one right now, onto Magical Marionette!"

In a flash, Magical Marionette began to glow again, its' ATK going from 2200 to 2400. "And now... it has 2 Magic Counters, so I will remove them and destroy Armed Dragon LV7!!" Magical Marionette's body began to glow again, its' ATK going down from 2400 to 2000, as then it charged, slashing Armed Dragon LV7 in half, destroying it.

"Oh, no! Yugi's done for if this attack goes through!!" Taro shuddered.

"Now!! Sorcerer of Dark Magic! Magical Marionette! Attack Yugi's Life Points directly!!" In a flash, both of Utsugi's Monsters leapt forward, ready to attack, as Yugi looked in shock, gasping, with both of Utsugi's Monsters coming down at him!! Was this the end!?!

Just as Sorcerer of Dark Magic and Magical Marionette were going to attack, Yugi took a Magic Card from his hand. "I now play the Magic Card, Fissure, which will destroy Magical Marionette, the Monster on your side of the Field with the lowest ATK!!!" Suddenly, a crack in the earth swallowed up Magical Marionette, leaving just Sorcerer of Dark Magic. "Very well then, Sorcerer of Dark Magic! Continue your direct attack!"

In a heartbeat, a flame wrapped around Sorcerer of Dark Magic's staff, Utsugi calling out his attack. "Celestial Black Burning!!" And with that, Sorcerer of Dark Magic's fire shot forward, blasting Yugi who cried out at the top of his lungs, his body smoking from the flames once the attack was complete, his Life Points dropped from 4400 to 1200.

Utsugi looked on and said "I see. Magic Sanctuary dealt with that. I forgot all about it for a time, but that was a genius move, Yugi. I end my turn."

On the other side, Joey gritted his teeth and cried out when Kenshi's Ben Kei attacked him, but then he waved his hand "Trap Card, activate... Nutrient Z!!" In a flash, Joey let out a sigh, his Life Points going up from 1500 to 5500 as he explained Nutrient Z's effect. "When Nutrient Z activates, it's when I take Battle Damage equal to 2000 or more points. My Life Points are then increased by 4000 points, before being subtracted. So I saved myself, losing 2100 LP, but putting myself at 3400 now."

"See? You are lucky. Dork. Now, you're startin' to loosen up! But I can hit you again! Go, Ben Kei!!" Ben Kei charged ahead, then slashed Joey again, dropping his Life Points from 3400 to 1300. "Now that that's done, I'll take a card, slide it face-down, and end my turn!" Kenshi grinned.

"So... why are you doing this for Bandit Keith? I just wanna know why you want to help a jerk like that..."

"Look, I know he's a jerk, but you don't gotta knock him! He actually was pretty nice to bail me and Utsugi out of jail once. Ya see, we were in New York once, this whole circus. We just were having fun is all me and Utsugi were doin'... entertaining some kids with other acts we have... and we got arrested by pure stupid luck. While we were waiting in our cells, expectin' our foster dad to blow his top, Keith showed up. He actually asked us why we were here, and we said we were performers, so he said he knew how that way, and BAM!!" Kenshi slapped his hands together. "He bailed us out and said 'I'll see you around', and he was gone. Now, 2 years later, he calls us up, asks me and my brother Utsugi to Duel you and Yugi... we didn't know why, but it was out of honor."

"Doing that for a guy like him is not very honorable. So I'm gonna kick your ass for that! My turn! Draw!" Joey drew his next card, and saw he had 1 copy of 7!

7 Permanent Magic Card Effect: When there are 3 face-up "7" cards on your side of the Field, draw 3 cards from your Deck. Then destroy all copies of "7" on the Field. When this card is sent directly from the Field to your Graveyard, increase your Life Points by 700 points.

He also saw he had Pot of Greed. Seeing his chance, Joey held Pot of Greed up and said "Now I activate Pot of Greed, drawing 2 cards!" Swiftly drawing his next two cards, Joey grinned at his luck. "LUCKY!!! Now I play 3 permanent Magic Cards all at the same time! 7! 7! 7!"

In a flash, a large slot machine appeared on Joey's side of the Field with it landing on 7, 7, 7, which meant victory. In an explosion, the slot machine was gone, and Joey smiled. "When there's 3 copies of 7 on my side of the Field, I can draw 3 cards from my Deck, and destroy all copies of it on the Field. Also, when it's sent from my Field to the Graveyard, I gain 700 Life Points. Sooo I gain 2100 Life Points when 7 x 3 is destroyed!"

Joey smiled, drawing 3 cards, then all 3 copies of 7 exploded, as his Life Points went up from 1300 points to 3400. "Now I'll play Scapegoat from my hand!"

In an explosion, 4 Sheep Tokens appeared on Joey's side of the Field as he smiled. "Turn end."

Back at Yugi's Duel... "WHOO..." Yugi fell backwards, legs crossed Indian style. "That was just too much... this is just goin' back and forth so much, I wonder if we can keep this up the way things have been going like this."

Taro, Melody, and T a all looked on at their friend, Yugi panting heavily, feeling a bit exhausted, but having enjoyed imself so far.

"You know, my father, even if he adopted myself and my brother Kenshi, told me that persistence is good, but when things do tend to get too tedious, sometimes the best thing to do is stop. Besides, I know that my favor to Keith Howard will go unanswered, but I can see I've made you tired, Yugi."

"Huh? Bandit Keith Howard?"

"That's right, Yugi. He helped me and Kenshi out of prison once when it seemed we were disturbing the peace while performing." Utsugi smiled, arms crossed. "You see, all we've had to rely on sometimes is just one another..."

"If you wanna know why I wanted to help Bandit Keith as a debt being repaid..." Kenshi asked, his hands in his pockets, whistling softly. "It's how me an' my brother were raised, Joey. When our parents died, we simply had to rely on each other while in the orphanage we grew up. I was older, by a year, and Utsugi was a little sweeter than me, so, I had to look out for him in the best way I could."

"Kenshi looked out so much for me..." Utsugi replied, looking at his cards. "He even got me into Duel Monsters, showing me how to play it, and also reminding me we gotta be our best to people, even if they seem cruel. Kenshi also said that as brothers, we needed to pray we could find the best for ourselves, ever since our parents died. Soon, we met someone named Duncan, who took us in as his sons."

Kenshi smiled, pulling out a wallet, opening it up, seeing a picture of himself, Duncan, and Utsugi "Duncan was like a regular father to us, and he even taught us the best thing is to be honorable, to believe in repaying debts. He... is our dad."

"Even for a guy like Bandit Keith?" Joey blinked.

"Even for him. We know he has been cheating in Duels here and there, gone underground, and much more, but a promise is a promise." Kenshi said, looking at Joey. "If you can't be a good man by repaying your debts, you don't deserve to be a man. That's all there is. And now..."

Kenshi and Utsugi, both at the same time, even if both were in seperate places, spoke at the same time. "I am done."  
Joey looked at surprise, and then shouted. "What the-!?!"

"Look, it's been fun and all, Joey, but, it IS getting late, and the show is gonna start again! I will tell ya this much. You're good! Really good! Just... lighten up. If you lighten up, you'll have much more fun, and that's all Duel Monsters is all about, right?"

Joey blinked, remembering how he had Duels for fun mostly in the past, but recently, he couldn't have fun, looking at his hand as Kenshi smiled, waving to him, heading off.

Utsugi took his mask off, then bowed. "Yugi, I must say, it was an honor to battle with you. I pray we will be able to compete against one another again. I am sorry so much so for haivng to end this, but, my brother and I have a job more important than being Duelists, and that is being in a circus. If you want, you can come by here anytime. We'll be in town for a while, and we can finish this."

Yugi blinked, but smiled, nodding. "You got it!"

Utsugi then headed off, nodding to T a, Taro, and Melody. Soon enough, the four friends headed off as well from the House of Mirrors.

After a while, Utsugi bumped into his older brother, figuratively, who was smiling. "So, Kenshi, how was the battle you had?"

"Well, since we got another show to do, I had to cut it short, but it was interesting. That guy was pretty damn good. But he was kind of stiff. Keith didn't mention how good that Wheeler was when he told us about him. Maybe just to save face? Even if we knew he'd lost to him at Duelist Kingdom..." Kenshi shrugged. "He'll get better once he loosens up though. Yugi? How was he?"

"Yugi was very skilled. He and I seemed to go back and forth, but then again, onee-san, you know how long I can take when Dueling... and with us being here in Japan for a while again, we'll be able to face them again, I hope." Utsugi smiled, placing his mask on.

"We will." Kenshi nodded. "Count on it!"

Soon, at the entrance of the circus, all 8 friends met once more, as Yugi exhaled, looking at the sky, Horus appearing on his shoulder. "Yugi, you seem to be deep in thought..."

"Yeah... I am, Horus. I've always known I was good at Duel Monsters because I had fun and rememebered what was best for myself and my opponent at times. I've never wanted to win all the time. But I feel as the enemies get stronger, I'm going to need to be a lot stronger than I am now... so I can prove my best still, even with Atem gone."

Horus smiled and nodded. "Well, you aren't alone at least. You got me and all of your friends to back you up!"  
Hearing that reassurance, Yugi smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I do!"

Joey blinked, scratching his head. "It's weird how Yugi's been actin' lately. It's almost like Atem was here still, and he was talkin' to him, but none of us could see it and..."

"Well, you are speaking really fast, so you may want to slow down and recalculate this." A voice called to Joey. Joey blinked, looking around rapidly. "Who, who said that?"

"I did!" The voice rang out. "Look in your Deck!"  
"My... Deck...??" Joey carefully pulled his Deck out, then looked through his card, then came up to Flame Swordsman, who was smiling. "Hello, Joey. It took you a bit to hear my voice, but am I glad you can now."

"GAAH!!" Joey cried out, everyone looking at him. The first one to speak up was Mary, who blinked. "Joey, are you alright?"  
"Ye-yeah... it's nothin'..." Joey looked back down at Flame Swordsman, who then appeared, transparent to everyone but Yugi, T a, and barely, to Taro, and said "You are lucky I came when I could."

"So, uh, what the heck are you supposed to be?"

"A Duel Monsters spirit. You didn't know we were real? Other than what Yugi and Atem told you? Well, you have a strong link with me, so you now have me as your partner, that is, if you aren'y gonna look like you'll pee your pants from being freaked out by this idea... a card coming to life..."

"Well, it IS pretty weird, but cool at the same time since you were my Deck Master in that VR world!" Joey grinned. "This is gonna take some gettin' used to."

Yugi turned and blinked. "Wow! Joey has a Duel Monsters spirit too. And it's... Flame Swordsman? Weird. I figured he might have gotten something like Red Eyes Black Dragon or Gilford the Lightning... but I guess Flame Swordsman works since he is one of Joey's favorites."

"Well, I wasn't your most likely partner, was I, Yugi?" Horus smiled. "So, sometimes, you can expect the unexpected with us."  
"I'll take your word for it, partner." Yugi smiled, patting Horus's head, as everyone else, except for T a, and Taro for the most part, looked at Joey like he was crazy, since he was talking to Flame Swordsman, and this would be the start of another journey.

However, at Domino Stadium, a loud roar echoed the halls, as a ring announcer spoke up. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are coming close to the closure of this, the second annual Japanese Finals of Duel Monsters! We have come down to the last two competitors, who will be Dueling tomorrow for the right to be named Japanese Champion of Duel Monsters! In fact, they're two familiar faces, since both were in last year's finals! Those two are Weevil Underwood from East Japan, and Rex Raptor from West Japan! These two have proven to be fighting champions again this year, and tomorrow, they will strut their stuff for you all to see who will be the Japanese champion!"

Pegasus looked on and smiled. "This has been most interesting. Some of the best are here... and they can also come to the Cecilia Cup when that begins. It will be most entertaining to see such great Duelists in action!"

Bandit Keith himself had the TV on and exhaled, nodding. "This is nice. I'll be making sure to mark down others who Dueled, to get cards from 'em AND make ourselves known! Pegasus, you fool, you don't realize you've helped us by hosting this tournament. I can't wait to see when Rex and Weevil go at it again, just to see what will happen! This is gonna be great! I can just feel my blood pumpin'!"

Clenching his fist, Keith grinned, looking forward to the next day, to see who would be the next champion, and what would go down! He hadn't been this fired up for so long... and it made him excited to be ready to take on anyone at anytime when he got his chance to Duel...

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	42. Chapter 42

Episode 42 - Rematch! Rex vs. Weevil

Taro grinned with excitement as he held up a DVD inside of a CD case, talking to Yugi and his friends. Joey, Mai, T a, Tristan, Melody, Lee, and Vivian all sat comfortably in the Mutohs' living room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you know about the last Japanese Championships occuring yesterday, right? Since we had to miss it, I was smart enough to burn it to DVD. That way, we can study the final Duel between Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor. Are you guys ready for this?"

"Yeah, but, uh... we've faced Rex and Weevil before, so why bother watching it?" Joey replied, a bored look on his face. Suddenly, Mai slapped him upside the head. "OW!!! What was that for, Mai?!"

"Don't be rude, Joey! I think Taro just wanted us to study just in case we were to face them sometime in the future." Mai replied.

"It's more than that, Mai. Pegasus also made an announcement at the end of the tournament that I'm sure all of us would like to hear. So, I'm gonna put it in now." Taking the DVD, Taro opened the Mutohs' DVD player, placing the disc in, grabbing the remote control for the DVD player, and hit play.

In a flash, the TV turned on, as the announcer at Domino Stadium smiled. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the final Duel of the Pro League Japanese Regionals. We have an exciting Duel coming your way, with defending champion Weevil Underwood, taking on rival, Rex Raptor, in a rematch of the century! This match will determine who will be Japan's champion! Now, let's go down to the floor arena and see our competitors!"

Weevl, the shorter of the duo, shuffled his Deck in his hands, grinning. His appearance was rather nerdy, with large golden glasses with a beetle in the center of the frame, a bowl cut of hair, colored light blue. His clothes were a long green duster jacket, with black on the end of the coat tails, a black beetle on the back, and a black shirt under his jacket, with dark green jeans and shoes with a design like that of a beetle, his hands covered in black fingerless gloves. "Yuk yuk yuk... I look forward to this, Rex... just to know that beating you twice on similiar stages was no fluke."

"Weevil Underwood had had 15 straight wins so far in the Pro League, including several in this tournament! His Deck is an Insect Deck, which has shown to be a powerful Deck, with many elaborate and evil combos that have sealed his opponent's fate many times! He is without a doubt a genius of tactics, one who could perhaps as he has grown could give Yugi Mutoh a run!"

"Whatever, my short friend! I'll squash your bugs like an ant under my boot!" Rex grinned. He had a red beanie on, with a circluar design on the rim, with a D turned to the left, and an R to the right, as he grinned, a small patch of light purple hair among his messy brown hair, as he had on a pale yellow shirt with a brown vest, zipped up, a dark green fanny pack-like satchel on his side, and dark brown jeans as he shuffled his Deck too.

"On the other side of the spectrum, Rex Raptor is more of a powerhouse Duelist, using powerful Dinosaurs, Reptiles, Dragons, and recently, Winged Beasts. He, like Weevil, has 15 straight wins also in the Pro League, as well as in this tournament! He and Weevil have both had some great performances!"

But then, both Duelists handed one another their Decks, which meant Rex was shuffling Weevil's Deck, and Weevil was shuffling Rex's Deck. Both stepped back from one another, smiling, placing their Decks into their Duel Disks. Both of their Duel Disks got into the ready positions, both shouting out "DUEL!!".

Next, Weevil and Rex drew their five cards, smiling. "I'll take the first turn! Draw!" Weevil drew his first card, taking his Monster and slapping it face-down horizontally onto his Monster Card Zone. "I'll set one Monster, and that's the end of my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Rex said, drawing his next card, as he said "I Special Summon Gilasaurus in Attack Mode!'

In a flash of light, a brown velociraptor-like gilasaurus, with yellow eyes roared onto the Field, cracking its' tail. "When I Normal Summon Gilasaurus, I can treat its' Normal Summon as a Special Summon, but if you have any Monsters in your Graveyard when I do Special Summon it, you get to Special Summon it as well from there! Unfortunate for you that you don't have a Monster in your Graveyard, and I happened to have Gilasaurus in my hand. Now, enough talk! I will Normal Summon Mammoth Graveyard in Attack Mode!!"

In a flash, appearing next to Gilasaurus was a white mammoth's skeleton without a trunk, letting out a mighty roar. "Heh!"

MAMMOTH GRAVEYARD Earth/Dinosaur/3/1200 ATK/800 DEF

"Gilasaurus, attack his set Monster!" Gilasaurus stampeded across the Field, as the crowd cheered, Gilasaurus slashing across Weevil's set Monster, revealing a brown insect with a skinny torso, arms and legs, with sharp claws for toes and fingers, as well as two horns, and glowing red eyes.

"You have activated the Flip Effect of Man-Eater Bug, Rex! When Man-Eater Bug is Flip Summoned or flipped face-up, I can have him destroy 1 Monster on the Field! So I'll make sure you can't attack my Life Points with it, I'll destroy Mammoth Graveyard!!" Man-Eater Bug flew up into the air, clenched hard onto Mammoth Graveyard, then exploded, blowing up Mammoth Graveyard, causing Rex to grit his teeth. He then took a card from his hand and scoffed. "I'll set a card face-down, and that's the end of my turn..."

"What a move by Weevil Underwood! Having a Flip Effect Monster ready to make use of its' effect to destroy one of Rex Raptor's Monsters! Let us see what else the current champion has up his sleeve!" The announcer said, smiling.

"My turn! Draw!" Weevil rew his sixth card, taking Pot of Greed, smiling and showing it to Rex. "I activate the Magic Card, Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Weevil now had 7 cards, grinning and took a Monster from his hand and slapped it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I Summon Kamakiriman in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a mantis-like creature appeared, slashing the air with silver claws. This mantis man had priple arms and a purple mid-section, the rest of its' body yellow, save for silver toes like its' bladed claws, and its' red eyes as it let out a trill call.

KAMAKIRIMAN Earth/Insect/4/1150 ATK/1400 DEF

"If you think that is done..." Weevil smiled, having a card kept between his index and middle finger on his right hand, then turned it. "I will now Sacrifice Kamakiriman to the effect of the Magic Card, Insect Imitation! When I Sacrifice a Monster to Insect Imitation, I can Special Summon an Insect-Type Monster from my hand or Deck with a Level just one higher than the Sacrificed Monster's Level! Since Kamakiriman is Level 4, that means I can Special Summon a Level 5 Monster from my Deck!"

INSECT IMITATION Normal Magic Card Effect: Sacrifice 1 Monster on your side of the Field. Select 1 Insect-Type Monster from your Deck that is 1 Level higher than the Sacrificed Monster and Special Summon it to your side of the Field in face-up Attack Mode or face-down Defense Mode. Then shuffle your Deck.

In a flash, Kamakiriman disappeared, and Weevil pulled his Deck out, then took a Monster, slapping it where Kamakiriman was. "Now I Special Summon Millennium Scorpion in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a large scorpion with dark blue armor, gold along it as well as a large golden eye like that on the Millennium Items appeared on its' head, large teeth with red gums around it as well as green eyes, and 2 4-sectioned pinchers, thrusting its' stinger into the air as it cried out.

MILLENNIUM SCORPION Earth/Insect/5/2000 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: Each time this card destroys 1 Monster on your opponent's side of the Field and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, increase the ATK of this card by 500 points.

"Millennium Scorpion, attack Gilasaurus!!" Weevil cried out. Millennium Scorpion cried out also, impaling Gilasaurus with its' stinger, then began to devour Gilasaurus.

Yugi looked on, eyes widened. "Oh, man, that is just nasty!"  
"I'll say! I figured Weevil mighta used Millennium Scorpion in his Deck, but this is without a doubt one thing you don't wanna watch when eating a heavy lunch!" Taro groaned, eyes rolling.  
Gagging a bit, Tristan covered his mouth, as Mai shuddered. "Brings back memories of Joey's Duel with that Rishid guy in Battle City..."

In a flash, Gilasaurus was gone, and Rex's Life Points were dropped by 600 points to 7400. "Oh, I forgot to mention Millennium Scorpion's effect. When it destroys 1 Monster on your side of the Field in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, its' ATK goes up by 500 points, so now, it goes from 2000 to 2500!" In a flash, Millennium Scorpion's body began to glow, its' ATK going to 2500.

"Turn end!" Weevil grinned.

Melody looked on. "Millennium Scorpion seems like a nasty Monster, especially since it will eventually overpower any Monster it comes into contact with... how can Rex counter it?"

"A good question, Melody." Vivian said. "Both are two different sides of the Dueling spectrum, with Weevil using more tactics in his Deck, like that combo he used, and Rex is about power for most of the time, with Magic Cards to combo to make his Monsters stronger, so I wouldn't be surprised if he has some plan up his sleeve to topple Weevil's Millennium Scorpion!"

"Me too, Viv." Lee smiled. "I look forward to all of this indeed!"

"My turn!" Rex drew his next card, looking at his hand, calculating, then smiling. "Now I activate my set card, Call of the Haunted! As you know, this Trap Card allows its' user to Special Summon a Monster in Attack Mode, and if Call of the Haunted is destroyed or removed from the Field, that Monster is destroyed. Come back to the Field, Gilasaurus!" In a flash, Gilasaurus returned to the Field, roaring.

Rex took another card from his hand and smiled, sliding it into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "Now I will add in the Equip Magic Card, Living Fossil! With this, I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard, equipped with it, like Premature Burial, but the Equipped Monster has its' ATK decreased by 1000 points, and if it has any effects, they go buh-bye! And if Living Fossil is destroyed, the Equipped Monster is destroyed too! So, here comes another old friend! Mammoth Graveyard, return!"

LIVING FOSSIL Equip Magic Card Effect: Select 1 Monster Card from your Graveyard and Special Summon it to your side of the Field with this card equipped to it. Decrease the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 1000 points, negating any effects it may have. If this card is destroyed, destroy the Equipped Monster.

In a flash, Mammoth Graveyard appeared next to Gilasaurus, its' ATK now at 200 instead of 1200. Looking at the rest of his now 3 card hand, and took another card from his hand and played it. "Now I play Precious Cards from Beyond! This card can only be activated when I Sacrifice Summon or Set a Monster that requires 2 Sacrifices. But at that, I can draw 2 cards from my Deck! How sweet is that!"

PRECIOUS CARDS FROM BEYOND Permanent Magic Card Effect: When you successfully Sacrifice Summon or Set a Monster that required 2 or more Sacrifices, draw 2 cards from your Deck.

"Next, I Sacrifice Gilasaurus and Mammoth Graveyard in order to summon Tri-Horned Dragon from my hand to the Field!" In a flash, Gilasaurus and Mammoth Graveyard disappeared, Rex slapping Tri-Horned Dragon's card onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. In a flash appeared a blue-skinned dragon roaring loudly, this one without wings, but yellow spines on its' back, as well as two along the end of its' jaw, 3 on its' feet and its' hands as claws, as well as a long horn with two more horns curved at the bottom. Rex smiled, holding his only remaining card in his hand. "Whatcha think of my newest big Dragon, Weevil? Cost me about... oh, I'd say, 10,000! But well worth it for its' ATK and DEF for its' Level? And I think it suits me just fine! And now, I can draw 2 cards from Precious Cards from Beyond."

Drawing 2 cards, Rex now had 3 cards in his hand, looking at the other cards in his hand, trying to figure out what to do. He saw no other option and said "Go for it, Tri-Horned Dragon!! Attack Millennium Scorpion!!' Tri-Horned Dragon roared, charging forward, then slashed Millennium Scorpion, blowing it up and dropping Weevil's Life Points by 350 points to 7650 points. "Now I will set a card face-down, and end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Weevil drew his next card, then set a Monster face-down. "Now I will set a Monster face-down, and that will be the end of my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Rex grinned, and said "Now I play the Trap Card, Meteorain! Whatever your smallfry is, it's not gonna matter since Tri-Horned Dragon's attack is much stronger than the defense of whatever your Monster is! Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Weevil's face-down Monster!! Tri-Horned Claw!!" Tri-Horned Dragon roared again, leaping up into the air, its' claws glowing brightly, then slashed across Weevil's set card, blowing it up, but revealing a ladybug with a skull and crossbones on its' wings, a red horn and red eyes, as well as white pincer-like teeth, and 6 yellow legs as it exploded, Weevil's Life Points dropped by a whopping 1350 points, placing him at 6300.

"Heh. Thanks for that. You just activated Skull-Mark Ladybug's effect. When it's sent to the Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points. So it didn't matter, you helped me, really. Now my Life Points are at 7300." In a flash, Weevil's Duel Disk's Life Point counter rolled from 6300 to 7300 as he smiled.

SKULL-MARK LADYBUG Earth/Insect/4/500 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard, increase your Life Points by 1000 points.

"Grrr.." Rex snarled, then showed his card to Weevil. "I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Rex now had a hand size of four, exhaling as he then slashed his arms across the air. "Turn end!"  
"Yuk yuk yuk....getting scared? I would be too if I knew defeat was in my future too. My turn! Draw!" Drawing a good card, Weevil smiled. "Now I play the Magic Card, Magical Mallet! This Magic Card lets me return any card in my hand to my Deck, then draw the same number of cards I added from my hand to my Deck!"

MAGICAL MALLET Normal Magic Card Effect: Add any number of cards from your hand to your Deck, then shuffle your Deck. Then draw the same number of cards you added to your Deck.

Weevil now had 5 cards and smiled. "I will add these 5 cards from my hand to my Deck!" Weevil slid his 5 cards, shuffling his Deck rapidly, locking his Deck back into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, then drew 5 new cards. He smiled and said "Next I will play the Magic Card, Spider Web! This Magic Card lets me add 1 card from your Graveyard!"

SPIDER WEB Normal Magic Card Effect: Place 1 card that your opponent had placed into his/her Graveyard 1 turn previous to your own hand. If that card is sent to the Graveyard, it is sent to its' original owner's Graveyard.

In a flash, Spider Web's thread shot out, yanking Rex's copy of Pot of Greed, which Weevil caught, then showed it to Rex. "Now I play your Pot of Greed! So thank you!" Drawing two cards, Weevil now had 6 cards in his hand, then took one of his cards, DNA Surgery, and set it face-down. "I will set a card face-down, and play this! Insect Barrier!"

In a flash, Insect Barrier's art appeared, as Weevil smiled. "While Insect Barrier is on the Field, your Insect-Type Monsters can't attack at all! So now, I'll end my turn!"

"You must be one grade-A dumbass, Underwood! Ya know my Deck has no Insect-Type Monsters in it! And you're gonna pay for making such a mistake. My turn! Draw!" Rex drew his next card. He smiled and said "Ya shoulda played a Monster to protect your Life Points, 'cause it's time I plowed through and show ya a big mistake you made!"

Weevil stood there, holding his other cards, just remaining silent. "I play Uraby in Attack Mode!"  
In a flash, a velcioraptor with brown skin, dark brown stripes along its' back, arms, and legs, and blood red eyes roared, slashing its' claws across the air.

URABY Earth/Dinosaur/4/1500 ATK/800 DEF

"Tri-Horned Dragon! Uraby! Attack Weevil's Life Points directly!!" Rex cried out, as both Monsters charged right at him, but Weevil let out a devilish grin on his face. "It won't work! Set Trap!! DNA Surgery, activate!"

"Dammit, a Trap Card! And now you can change the Type of all Monsters on the Field!"

"Yeah. And now... I select Insect as the Type of Monster!!" Weevil cried out, as suddenly, Uraby's right claw mutated as well as it gaining antennae, Tri-Horned Dragon spewing out some kind of horn from its' mouth, as well as its' spikes mutated into similar antennae.

"And now, the Permanent Magic Card, Insect Barrier, activates, preventing your Insect-Type Monsters from attacking now! Oho ho ho!!" In a flash, lines like a web shot out from Insect Barrier's art, and blocked Tri-Horned Dragon and Uraby's attacks, as Rex gritted his teeth. "Alright... I'll set a card face-down...." In a flash, a card appeared behind Rex's Monsters. "Turn end."

"My turn draw!" Weevil drew his next card and said "I will set a card face-down as well, then I play this Monster! Pinch Hopper in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a green skinned grasshopper with yellow marks along its' upper body, as well as blue eyes.

PINCH HOPPER Earth/Insect/4/1000 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: When this card on your side of the Field is sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon 1 Insect-Type Monster from your hand.

"Heh! That smallfry?" Rex scoffed. Weevil then took another card from his hand and held it up. "Now I play this Magic Card! Eradicating Aerosol! Now all of our Monsters are destroyed since DNA Surgery has made all Monsters Insect-Type Monsters! So, there's one less dragon and raptor to deal with in this world! Yuk yuk yuk!!"

ERADICATING AEROSOL Normal Magic Card Effect: Destroy all face-up Insect-Type Monsters on the Field.

A large can of aerosol suddenly appeared, spraying across the Field, destroying Tri-Horned Dragon, Uraby, and Pinch Hopper in a heartbeat. Everyone gasped, Rex looking in shock, Weevil smiling confidently.

"This isn't good." Yugi spoke up from his house. "Weevil destroyed Rex's Field... AND he also gets to use the effect of Pinch Hopper... that means he can Special Summon 1 Insect-Type Monster from his hand to the Field! I hate to think of what is in his hand for him to Special Summon..."

As the DVD continued to play, Weevil smiled, as he said "Now, with Pinch Hopper's destruction, I can Special Summon 1 Insect-Type Monster from my hand! You've seen the Queen! It's time I showed you another part of the Insect royalty! Now! I Special Summon Insect Princess in Attack Mode!" Slapping his Monster of choice on the Monster Card Zone, as in a flash, appeared a yellow-skinned insect girl with black and light pink butterfly wings on her back, lavender flesh around her ankles as well as her four wrists, and parts of her chest. Red flesh also showed around her chest, under her yellow breasts and also along her neck as she landed down, her lower arms having her hands resting on her elbows, her upper right arm under her chest, and her upper left on her cheek as she giggled.

INSECT PRINCESS Wind/Insect/6/1900 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, Battle Positions of all face-up Insect-Type Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field are changed into Attack Mode. Each time this card destroys an Insect-Type Monsteri in battle, increase the ATK of this card by 500 points.

"Now then. Let's get this rolling into MY favor! Insect Princess! Attack his Life Points directly!!!" Insect Princess leapt into the air, flapping her wings, a gust of wind glowing forward, hitting Rex who cried out, his Life Points dropping from 7400 to 5500.  
"Turn end!" Weevil smiled.

"My turn... draw!" Rex gritted his teeth, drawing his next card, and showed it to Weevil, playing it. "Now I play Blue-Winged Crown in Attack Mode!"  
In a flash, a beautiful blue bird appeared, with flame like tail feathers, and similiar colored feathers on its' head like a crown as it had its' wings at its' sides, letting out a caw.

BLUE-WINGED CROWN Wind/Winged Beast/4/1600 ATK/1200 DEF

"Next, I will play the Magic Card, Earthquake! This Magic Card changes the Battle Position of all face-up Attack Mode Monsters on the Field to Defense Mode with a great shake!" Rex smiled, as suddenly, the earth shook up, as Blue-Winged Crown and Insect Princess turned to Defense Mode.

EARTHQUAKE Normal Magic Card Effect: All face-up Monsters on the Field are changed to Defense Mode.

Blue-Winged Crown DEF - 1200 Insect Princess DEF - 1200

"Next, I will play the Magic Card, Ultra Evolution Pill - Revised Formula! I will Sacrifice a Winged Beast-Type Mosnter on my side of the Field, which Blue-Winged Crown is, and Special Summon a Dinosaur-Type Monster from my hand!" In a flash, Blue-Winged Crown disappeared as Rex held forth his Monster of choice. "And from my hand, I Special Summon Dark Tyranno in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a dark brown gilasaurus-like in appearance tyrannosaurus appeared, roaring loudly, with yellow marks on its' snout and head, as well as its' back.

DARK TYRANNO Earth/Dinosaur/7/2600 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: If the only Monster Cards in your opponent's Monster Card Zone are Defense Mode Monsters, this card can attack your opponent's Life Points directly.

"Dark Tyranno's effect won't work if I have to deal with your Insect Barrier card, Weevil! So now I play the Magic Card, Mystical Space Typhoon, from my hand and I'll destroy your damned DNA Surgery!!" In a flash, a cyclone wrapped around it, as Weevil smiled. "I don't think so. I play the Counter Trap Card, Judgment of Anubis!!"

JUDGMENT OF ANUBIS Counter Trap Card Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand to negate the activation and the effect of a Magic Card controlled by your opponent that includes the effect of destroying Magic and/or Trap Card(s) on the Field and destroy it. Then, you can destroy 1 face-up Monster on your opponent's side of the Field and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed Monster.

"Now, I'll discard 1 card from my hand..." Weevil took a card from his hand, sliding it into his Graveyard slot. "Now it'll negate your Magic Card and destroy it!!" In a flash, Mystical Space Typhoon stopped, then exploded. "And finally, I'll destroy your face-up Monster! And that's Dark Tyranno! Plus, with its' destruction, you'll take 2600 points of damage!"

Suddenly, Dark Tyranno roared, then exploded, Rex crying out as his Life Points dropping to 2900 points. "Yuk yuk yuk!! How pathetic you must feel to know your Dinosaurs are going to go extinct!"

"Hmph. You fell for my own trap." Rex smiled. "Now I activate the Trap Card! Dust Tornado!" In a flash, a tornado spiralled around Weevil's DNA Surgery, causing it to explode. "Heh! While you stalled my Mystical Space Typhoon with Judgment of Anubis, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist to stop it. Now, I'll just take out DNA Surgery!" In an explosion, DNA Surgery was gone, as Rex took one of his last cards from his hand and said "I will next set a card with Dust Tornado's effect, then... I play my final card, Monster Reborn, to Special Summon Dak Tyranno in Attack Mode once more!"

In a flash, Dark Tyranno returned to the Field, roaring loudly. "Heh! Dark Tyranno, attack his Life Points directly!"  
"Huh!? How can you attack me directly when I still have Insect Princess on the Field?"

"Simple. Dark Tyranno's effect allows me to attack your Life Points directly if you have Defense Mode Monsters on the Field, and since Insect Princess is in Defense Mode, that means my Dinosaur can clobber you! So, as I said! Go, Dark Tyranno! Make his ass grass!" Stampeding forward, Dark Tyranno roared, as Rex slashed his arm. "And now I also add the Quickplay Magic Card, Rush Recklessly, raising its' ATK from 2600 to 3300 poinrs! And that means more ouchy for you!!"

Weevil cried out as Dark Tyranno stomped the ground around him, his Life Points rolling from 7300 to 4000. Rex clenched his fist and thrusted it into the air. "And that's the way things are done around here, Weevil! I end my turn!"

"My turn. Draw!" Weevil drew his next card, looking at his hand, as he exhaled and said "Now, it's time I played the odds! I play the Magic Card! Pot of Avarice!" In a flash, a large purple pot appeared, with jewels and gems all over, as well as a black moustache, small in appearance, its' tongue rolling out.

POT OF AVARICE Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 5 Monster Cards from your Graveyard, then add them to your Deck and shuffle it. After that, draw 2 cards from your Deck.

"Hey, how can you use that card!? Ya need 5 Monsters in your Graveyard to activate Pot of Avarice, given that its' effect has you select 5 Monsters in your Graveyard, add them back to your Deck and shuffle it to draw 2 cards!" Rex scoffed.

"Oh, but I do, my friend. Remember when I discarded for Judgment of Anubis's effect? The card I discasrded was Gokibore. So now, I'll add Gokibore, Kamakiriman, Millennium Scorpion, Man-Eater Bug, and Pinch Hopper back into my Deck!" In a flash, all 5 Monsters slid out of Weevil's Graveyard slot, as he gathered them, sliding all 5 into his Deck, shuffling it rapidly, then sliding it back into his Deck Holder, drawing 2 cards, as he smiled. "Well, now. Let's see what I can do with this! First, I turn Insect Princess to Attack Mode!" Leaping up, Insect Princess struck a pose, smiling as she did.

"Now I play 2 Equip Magic Cards on Insect Princess! Insect Armor with Laser Cannon twice! This Equip Magic Card makes the ATK of an Insect-Type Monster equipped with it 700 points stronger, so that means 1400 extra ATK is what Insect Princes gets now! Now her ATK will be 3300!"

In a flash of light, Insect Princess had a large cannon on her shoulder, red shoulder armor on her shoulders, and dark blue, spiked armor around her waist, her ATK now 3300 ATK. "Insect Princess! Attack!!" Placing her hands on the cannons, Insect Princess locked on, then fired her large cannon, blasting Dark Tyranno, dropping Rex's Life Points to 2200, as he gritted his teeth. "Now. I end my turn!" Weevil smiled.

"My turn... draw." Rex sighed, drawing his next card, and said "I play Des Feral Imp in Defense Mode, and that's it..." In a flash, a dark green skinned reptile with large ears, a long tail, sharp claws, and yellow on its' chest and along its wrists and forehead appeared, arms crossed, kneeling down. "Turn end!"

DES FERAL IMP Dark/Reptile/4/1600 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: Flip: Select 1 card from your Graveyard and add it to your Deck. Then shuffle your Deck.

"My turn." Weevil drew his next card and smiled. "This is the end, Rex. I play Jirai Gumo in Attack Mode!" In a flash, next to Insect Princess appeared a large spider with orange legs, an orange bottom, with spikes along both sides, with black down the middle, as it had 3 eyes, orange teeth, and also 6 orange legs along its' chest as it cried out a mighty shriek.

JIRAI GUMO Earth/Insect/4/2200 ATK/100 DEF Effect: When you declare an attack with this card, toss a coin and call it. If you call it right, attack normally. If you call it wrong, lose half your Life Points before attacking.

"To end this! Insect Princess, attack Des Feral Imp!!" Weevil cried out, as Insect Pricness fired a stream of light from her laser cannon, blowing Des Feral Imp away in one shot, leaving Rex's Life Points open. "Now! Jirai Gumo, direct attack! But since I've declared an attack with it, I must toss a coin and call it in the air. If I call it right, nothing happens. But if I call it wrong, my Life Points are halved before I attack. So..." Weevil dug into his pocket, pulling out a 100 yen coin, and said "Here I go." Throwing it up into the air, Weevil called out his choice. "TAILS!!"

The coin spun in mid-air, everyone looking on in awe, as Weevil then had his gloved right hand out, the coin landing right on it as he scoffed. "Feh! It's heads, but I still get to attack, even if my Life Points are halved to 2000." In a flash, Weevil flinched, his Life Points halved from 4000 to 2000, but then Jirai Gumo let out a screech, leaping into the air, then slashing across Rex who cried out, his Life Points rolling down from 2200 exactly to 0, as he dropped on one knee, panting.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Duel is over! Weevil Underwood once again is your champion!!" The announcer cried out, as Weevil raised up his arm, but then walked over to Rex, extending his hand. Rex scoffed, but then took it, as he smirked. "Ya know, I just went easy on ya, just like last time!"

"If you say so, Rex. We gave 'em a hell of a show, and that's all that matters, as long as we get the spotlight for once." Weevil smiled, pushing his glasses up.

"And now a new announcement, fans of Duel Monsters out there! It seems, live, and in person, Pegasus J. Crawford, CEO of Industrial Illusions, is here at the Domino City Stadium!" The announcer smiled. "So let us hear it for him now!" With that said, a large round of applause echoed through the arena, as Pegasus walked out and smiled. "Rex. Weevil. A pleasure to see you both again."

Weevil and Rex looked in shock and awe, both turning to one another and grinning.

Taking a microphone from the announcer, Pegasus smiled. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am glad to be here among the champions of tomorrow! This Pro League tournament to determine Japan's No. 1 Duelist has been all well and good, but also, I came to announce a new tournament I2 will be hosting in the coming months. This tournament is known as the Cecilia Cup, and it will be held here, in Domino City itself! Many of the best who wish to try can attend this tournament, and will be shooting for a cash prize of 10,000,000! So, be sure to practice hard! The Cecilia Cup will be starting on February 12th! I hope to see you there!"

The DVD then cut off as Taro smiled. "That's why else I wanted you guys to watch. I wanted you to see that announcement. Right now, it's October, so that means we got 4 months to prepare for this thing."

"That means that we're all gonna be enemies, but with a cash prize of that much, who could resist!?!" Mai smiled, clasping her hands together.

"What a raw deal, and to get to face some of Japan's best would be great practice to see how our Decks measure up!" Lee smiled.  
Vivian nodded. "So we're lucky we were here when this was beginning so we could get such an opportunity! And who knows, Lee, baby? If we win, we might be able to get funds to possibly get home to Hong Kong!"

Clapping his closed right hand against his open left hand, Joey had a bright grin on his face. "Sorry, Vivian, but that cash is mine! With that, I can help pay off my dad's gambling debts, as well as send some to my mom and Serenity! How sweet is that!

Flame Swordsman looked at Joey, unaware to the others, except for Yugi and T a, looked at him and said "I can feel the fire in your heart, Joey, and you know I'll be here to back you up! We are a team after all!"

"I appreciate that, Flame Swordsman!" Joey smiled.

Yugi simply put his hands behind his head after he stood up, exhaling, Horus on his head. "All I want... is to show how strong I've gotten. I wanna show I didn't beat Atem by a fluke, and also... I wanna have fun most of all! Horus, you ready to help me make it that far with everyone else, partner?"

"You know I'll back you up!" Horus chirped happily.

Taro, Melody, Mary, Duke, and Tristan all smiled as well, all of them fired up, given this announcement, and what laid ahead of them was a chance at glory, facing strong opponents, and having fun most of all!

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	43. Chapter 43

Episode 43 - Regrasping Glory and Diginity

At Domino Stadium, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor gathered their things together into their bags as Weevil exhaled. "So, Rex, you in on this Cecilia Cup thing Pegasus mentioned?"

"You kiddin'?! It's like a dream come true for us! We're gonna reclaim the glory and dignity we've lost thanks to those bastards Yugi and Joey, and we're gonna do it with our own power, Weevil! Anyway, I gotta go rearrange my Deck a bit more before that starts, even if we got several months before then! I may go to a game shop, see if I can do anything about that. You gonna come with?"

"No, actually" Weevil smiled softly, slinging his backpack on his back, hands in his coat's pockets. "I think I'll just stroll around ..."

"..." Rex shrugged, grabbing his bag in one hand. "OK, if you say so, man. See ya!" Rex waved and headed out of the door. Weevil exhaled, then headed out, smiling as he looked around, eyes closing slowly. He kept walking down the hall, opening his eyes as he headed outside, his Deck placed in his Deck holder, as he saw reporters walking up to him, all chattering as he said "Look, I'm sorry, but right now, I've got other things to do! If you want a time to interview me, I can set it up!" He then ran as fast as he could, panting as he sighed, eyes closed.

'Damn reporters. Why do I need to be bothered by them... this sucks! I just became Japanese Champion again, and this has to happen... I won't let them even get a chance to talk to me at all! Or at least til I am ready. This regained fame Rex and I have could just be premature... like it was then...' Clenching his fist in anger, Weevil kept walking through the streets, as he just looked about, almost in a paranoid sense, because he knew sometimes, the fans couldn't be trusted at times, so... he had his hesitation about this.

He kept walking, pulling his Deck out, sifting through it. 'I've rebuilt this Deck so many times to make it the Ultimate Insect Deck, so I could never lose to anyone ever again. Cards Doma had allowed me and Rex to have, cards I acquired through trades and through my own money. I have made an oath to never be a loser again!!'

Suddenly, Weevil cried out, bumping into someone, crying out, his Deck dropping to the ground. He looked in shock, beginning to pile all of his cards together, placing them into his Deck, looking at the person he ran into.

Weevil shot a glare then said "How about you watch where you're going!?"

"Well, well, this is interesting..." The voice said, as Weevil looked up, blinking. The person he'd bumped into had black hair, poofed in the front, almost like a pompadour, with a Duel Disk on his right arm, a black high school uniform and a lavender t-shirt under it.

"You!!" Weevil snapped as he leapt back, holding his Deck in his hand, sliding it into his Deck holder behind his belt.

"Weevil Underwood." The school punk said, scoffing. Soon, a young boy with short dirty brown hair stepped out and said "So, what brought you by here, dork?"

"I was just walking until I ran into your ogre of a brother while I was thinking, you selfish brat! I haven't forgotten the day you sicced him on Rex and me at our lowest moment!! I have NEVER forgotten that day!!" Weevil snarled almost, pushing his glasses up.

"Satoru just was doing what a big brother would do." The young boy said.  
The taller school punk looked at Weevil and pointed at him. "Listen, Underwood, there's a toll here for passing this path. That toll is a rare Duel Monsters card. But..."

Weevil flicked his Duel Disk to the ready position, taking his Deck and slapping it into its' Deck Holder, a glare in his eyes. "How about a Duel instead!?! I win, you let me pass, and if I lose, you can get my Insect Queen card! How does that sound?"

Satoru looked down at his little brother and said "So, Eiji, do you want me to take this guy?"  
"You can beat him easily, big brother! He's pathetic! I did after all throw out his and Rex Raptor's autograph long ago!" Eiji smiled.

Satoru stepped forward, some of his friends chuckling as he flicked his Duel Disk into the ready position, as he and Weevil looked at one another and shouted "DUEL!!"

Weevil LP - 4000 Satoru LP - 4000

"I will take my first turn! Draw!" Weevil drew his sixth card. Looking at his cards, Weevil smiled and slapped it onto his Monster Card Zone. "I play Pheromone Wasp in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a green wasp with 6 thin legs, an abdomen with purple spots on the sides, as well as what looked like threads from the bottom of it, as well as 2 wings, and antennae, letting out a screech.

PHEROMONE WASP Wind/Insect/3/800 ATK/800 DEF Effect: When this card successfully attacks your opponent's LIfe Points directly, at the end of the Battle Phase, Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Insect-Type Monster to your side of the Field from your Deck.

"Pheromone Wasp's effect is that when I inflict Battle Damage to your Life Points through a direct attack, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Insect-Type Monster from my Deck to the Field at the end of my Battle Phase. Next, I will set 1 card face-down. Turn end!"

"A pitiful wasp?! OK, this is gonna be cake!" Satoru said. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, he looked down at his hand and smiled. "I play Banchou Boxer in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a high school student-like Monster with a black Japanese eyepatch, cotton around his waist, as well as a medium-sized school jacket and cotton around his hands.

BANCHOU BOXER Earth/Warrior/4/1800 ATK/1300 DEF

"Next, I will just play this! Field Magic Card! Banchou's Battleground!" Sliding a card into his Field Magic Card, Satoru smiled, as in a flash, a schoolyard appeared, as Satoru crossed his arms.

BANCHOU'S BATTLEGROUND Field Magic Card Effect: Increase the ATK of all Monsters on your side of the Field that include "Banchou" in their card name by 300 points.

In a flash, Banchou Boxer's ATK was increased to 2100 points as Satoru thrusted his hand forward, gritting his teeth. "Go, Banchou Boxer!! Attack Pheromone Wasp!" Banchou ran forward, pulling his hand back, as Weevil scoffed. "Fool! Brute force won't be everything. I play the Trap Card, Sakuretsu Armor! This Trap Card can only be activated when you attack, and I can destroy your attacking Monster!"

In a flash, the Sakuretsu Armor clasped around Banchou Boxer, as it exploded, blowing him up as Satoru cried out. Weevil smirked, a devious look on his face. "So... who's the pathetic one now?"

"Turn end." Satoru said, a look of disgust on his face.  
"My turn, draw!" Weevil smiled, looking at his cards. "I will next play a card face-down, and then play Insect Barrier!" In a flash, Insect Barrier's card appeared next to Weevil's set card, as he then thrusted his hand forward. "Pheromone Wasp, attack his Life Points directly!!"

Pheromone Wasp's wings fluttered, a buzz coming from them as it flew forward, slashing its' bottom at Satoru's Life Points.

Satoru LP - 3200

"Now that my Battle Phase has ended, I'll use Pheromone Wasp's effect, allowing me to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Insect-Type Monster from my Deck." Pulling his Deck out, Weevil examined all of his cards, flipping through until he pulled one out and slapped it onto his Monster Card Zone. "I Special Summon Arsenal Bug in Attack Mode!"

A mysterious bug with a yellow skeleton-like form appeared on Weevil's side of the Field, its' head a curved kind of design, although it had pincers near its' mouth like an ant's, with wings in the back and a similar head-like design on the back with markings on it. In one hand was a sword, the other a shield as it screeched.

ARSENAL BUG Earth/Insect/3/2000 ATK/2000 DEF Effect: If there are no face-up Insect-Type Monsters (except this card) on your side of the Field, both the ATK and DEF of this Monster become 1000 points.

"Since there is another face-up Insect-Type Monster on my side of the Field besides Arsenal Bug, its' ATK and DEF remain as 2000/2000, rather than going to 1000/1000 if the case were opposite. Now I will end my turn!" Weevil smiled.

"My turn, draw." Satoru said, drawing his next card. Looking at his hand, Satoru pulled another Monster from his hand and smirked. "I play Banchou Gasser in Attack Mode!" In a flash, another gang-like school student appeared, this one gangly without a school jacket, but a breath mask over his mouth, with the symbol for poison over it.

BANCHOU GASSER Earth/Warrior/3/1100 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand to destroy 1 Monster on the Field with an ATK higher than this card's. This effect can only be used once per turn.

Banchou Gasser ATK - 1400

"I'll now use Gasser's effect, discarding a card from my hand to destroy Arsenal Bug!" Satoru said, placing a card from his hand onto his Graveyard slot, as it disappeared. Gasser then slid down his cotton mask, breathing out a poison that soon covered around Arsenal Bug, blowing it up as Weevil gritted his teeth. "Now, with Gasser at 1400, I'll attack Pheromone Wasp!"

Gasser leapt into the air, about to breath poison once more onto Pheromone Wasp until Weevil played his Trap Card. "Now, you'll see the foolishness of your errors to attack when not knowing my set card! I play DNA Surgery!! And the Type I call... Insect!!" In a flash, Gasser cried out, spikes sprouting down his back, as well as antennae from his head as Insect Barrier's effect kicked in, stopping his attack.

"Wh-what!?" Satoru said.  
"Idiot." Weevil smiled, his eyes shadowed, but his glasses gleaming in the sun. "Insect Barrier's effect is that while it's face-up on the Field, Insect-Type Monsters you have can't attack. Too bad you aren't giving me more of a challenge. Here I had hoped I would have received a challenge. I guess intimidation and beating up people for little wimps like your brother are the only thing someone like you is capable of."

"Grrr..." Satoru said, his companions murmuring while Eiji blinked. He then took a card from his hand and played it. "Yeah, well, this'll shut you up, bug boy!! I play Mystical Space Typhoon!! And I'll destroy Insect Barrier!" In a flash, Insect Barrier exploded, as Satoru took a card and said "I'll set a card face-down. And end my turn."

"My turn then. Draw!" Weevil smiled as he shot a glare at Eiji. "You. I want you to remember this when I beat your brother... that I have returned with full force, and I've promised myself to NEVER fail again!" Looking at his Duel Disk, near the Life Point counter, Weevil saw words written in Japanese. The words say "A vow to never fail again" on it. Before he and Rex had entered into the Pro League, they both made a promise to one another, to never fail again, and to show everyone who turned their backs on them for their past failures what their true power was.

"Watch! As I show you and everyone else here what I am made of! I Sacrifice Pheromone Wasp!" In a flash, Pheromone Wasp disappeared as Weevil slapped down his Monster of choice. "And I Sacrifice Summon Saber Beetle in Attack Mode!!"

In Pheromone Wasp's place as a brown shelled beetle, with one glowing light blue horn of light, black legs, and light blue eyes, as well as 3 spikes on the sides of its' shell, near where the wings would spread out.

SABER BEETLE Earth/Insect/6/2400 ATK/600 DEF Effect: When this card attacks with an ATK higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Saber Beetle's effect is if it attacks with an ATK higher than the DEF of a Defense Mode Monster, that difference is inflicted as Battle Damage. But this is even better! Saber Beetle, attack Banchou Gasser!" Spreading its' wings out, Saber Beetle flapped its' wings and flew forward at Banchou Gasser, Weevil calling out its' attack. "Saber Horn!!"

With that, Saber Beetle's light energy horn impaled into Banchou Gasser, blowing it up and dropping Satoru's Life Points to 2200 as Weevil smiled. "Now I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Satoru gritted his teeth. 'I won't let this guy beat me!! I'll pummel him to the ground if I've gotta!'

"Now I play my set card! Call of the Haunted!" Satoru cried out, as Call of the Haunted flipped face-up. "I Special Summon back to my side of the Field... a card I discarded earlier. Banchou King in Attack Mode!" In a flash appeared a more muscular school gang fighter, this one with a black rimmed hat, a scar on his right cheek and chest, gloved hands, as well as black combat boots.

BANCHOU KING Earth/Warrior/8/2800 ATK/2600 DEF Effect: Increase the ATK of this card by 200 points for every Monster in your Graveyard that includes "Banchou" in its' card name.

"Now, thanks to his effect, with my Banchou Boxer and Banchou Gasser in the Graveyard, the King's ATK is increased to 3200, by 400 points! Add the 300 plus ATK increase from my Field Magic Card, Banchou's Battleground, that means my King is at 3500 ATK! Attack Saber Beetle, Banchou King!!" Satoru cried out, as his King gripped his fist, charging forward, then punched Saber Beetle, destroying it, and dropping Weevil's Life Points by 1100 to 2900.

"Turn end!" Satoru grinned, as his companions whooped with joy, Eiji smiling. "Way to go, big brother!"

"My turn. Draw!" Weevil drew his next card, and nodded. "You'll see you made a slight error by choosing not to destroy DNA Surgery earlier with Mystical Space Typhoon."

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Satoru asked. "I can at least not worry about Insect Barrier stopping my Monsters' attacks now, since Insect Barrier was the worst threat. So spill!"

"You will see what I mean... right about now. First, I summon Pinch Hopper in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Pinch Hopper appeared, screeching. "Next, I play the Magic Card, Eradicating Aerosol! This Magic Card destroys all face-up Insect-Type Monsters on the Field, including those who have their Type changed! So... thanks to DNA Surgery, all Monsters on the Field are considered Insects, and thus, Pinch Hopper and Banchou King are destroyed!!"

The gas from Eradicating Aerosol filled the Field, Pinch Hopper and Banchou King crying out before both exploded, as Weevil cackled. "Now, with Pinch Hopper's effect, I can Special Summon 1 Insect-Type Monster from my hand, regardless of Level. And my Monster of choice..." Weevil took his favorite card from his hand and grinned, showing it to Satoru. "is Insect Queen, the card I staked in this match!"

In a flash, a large insect with a yellow female-esque face and two horns on its' head acting like antennae appeared. The rest of Insect Queen's body was very unique for her. She had 6 legs, 3 on each side, with the lower halves of the legs being blue, and the upper halves the same kind of light yellow her face and horns were. She had dark blue covering part of her chest, save for yellow "breasts" of sorts, and red flesh, which also was similar on her lower body/abdomen as she let out a screech.

INSECT QUEEN Earth/Insect/7/2200 ATK/2400 DEF Effect: You cannot declare an attack with this card without Sacrificing 1 Monster on your side of the Field. Increase the ATK of this card by 200 points for each face-up Insect-Type Monster on the Field. Special Summon 1 "Insect Monster Token" (Insect-Type/EARTH/Level 1/ATK 100/DEF 100) in Attack Mode on your side of the Field during the End Phase of each turn that this card destroys your opponent's Monster.

"Wait... why Special Summon HER of all Monsters you had!?! She can't even attack unless you Sacrifice a Monster on your side of the Field! So all of that was for nothing at all! You just gave me the chance to prepare so I can strike back and beat you and take her from you, just like when my friends and I gave you and Rex that beatdown to get my brother's card back!"

Weevil flinched at what Satoru said, clenching his hand. "I told you... I won't fail. I won't give in to what anyone says about me. Your brother was the na ve fool who wanted our autograph that much. And since we've come back on top, he's going to need to regret he threw our sign away! Because this Duel is done, and so are you!! My true intent is about to come to fruition so prepare to be shocked and in awe!!!"

Eiji, Satoru, and their comrades all looked in surprise at Weevil's serious determination, not aware that what he said was true... but it was too late, as Weevil made his move!

Taking another card from his hand, Weevil showed it to Satoru. "I play the Magic Card, Premature Burial! By dropping my Life Points by 800 points, I can Special Summon 1 Monster from my Graveyard equipped with this card! And I Special Summon Arsenal Bug!!"

Weevil's Life Point counter rolled from 2900 to 2100, and in a flash, Arsenal Bug returned to the field, screeching. Weevil then thrusted his hand forward. "I will attack with Insect Queen, and Sacrifice Arsenal Bug to do so!! Now... you see what I meant..."

Extending her neck, Insect Queen soon sunk her teeth into Arsenal Bug, beginning to eat it as it cried out violently before exploding. Eiji then looked in awe. "Now her ATK is 2400... but big brother's Life Points are only 2200... was all that Weevil did a precursor to this moment by leading my big brother on? No way! He couldn't be that good... could he!?!"

"Now... for your end. QUEEN'S HELL BREATH!!!" Weevil screamed out, Insect Queen shooting a green flame sorts from her mouth, as Satoru cried out, taking a hard blow, all of his cards flying out of his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, his Life Points dropped to 0 instantaneously. Satoru then hit the ground with a thud, all of his cards fluttering in the air.

Clenching his fist and raising it up into the air, Weevil let out a mighty yell at the top of his lungs, Satoru shaking in shock as Weevil thrusted his finger right at Satoru. "I told you before to NEVER underestimate me!!"

Eiji looked in shock, shaking his head. "How could he win? He... he was beaten in the first round of Duelist Kingdom by Yugi Mutoh... so how could someone like him beat my big brother?"

"It's simply because Weevil's got one of the best tactical minds for Duel Monsters out there, and I know from experience..." A voice said, and stepping forward was Rex Raptor, arms crossed, eyes closed.

"Rex, Rex Raptor?!"

Rex opened his eyes before speaking again. "Weevil may be an unsavory guy, but I've known him for quite a while. He's my best friend, so I know what kind of a Duelist he can be. He studied pretty hard to make use of his talents to be where he is... Japanese Champion for a second year in a row. That is why your brother lost, kid. Because he simply underestimated him..." Rex then walked over to Weevil and gave a thumbs up.

Weevil chuckled then turned to Eiji and spat for a moment. "You must now regret giving up our signatures. I'd suggest you tell your friends we're back in full force.... and we won't give up until we make the whole world see." And with that, the duo walked off, as Weevil had his eyes closed.

"How long had you been there?"

"Since you managed to nail him with Pheromone Wasp. I was observing while walkin' back from a game shop. I saw the cards they had, and no luck with any good cards. But I guess my Deck IS fine as is."

"I always knew it was, Rex." Weevil said. "And about the Cecilia Cup. I'm in. I want to see if HE will be there."

"He?" Rex asked, blinking. "Ohhhh, I get it... you mean Yugi! I wanna see if Joey will be there... we just gotta beat 'em this time!! We can't be loser-less against them ALL the time, right?! Am I right?!"

"You are right, Rex! We didn't work this hard in the Pro Leagues and with our excellent performance at the last Japanese Championships to lose to them!! We have to defeat them to make sure all of this hard work we've done isn't in vain! And remember our promise!! Weevil added, adjusting his glasses.

Rex nodded as he and Weevil raised their fists up and shouted out "We will not lose to Yugi and Joey again!! We will show them we are just as good as they are!!" and with that, they headed off, running as hard as they could, ready for anything that came in their way!!

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	44. Chapter 44

Episode 44 - Let The Training Begin!! Machine vs. E-Hero/Soldier!

Outside of the Kame Game Shop, Taro and Tristan had Duel Disks on their arms, shuffling their Decks, as both then handed their Decks to each other, as they stepped back, while Yugi, T a, Joey, Duke, Mai, Vivian, Lee, Solomon, Yuu, and Sukiko sitting on the sides as both took their Decks, sliding their Decks into the Duel Disk's Deck Holders, as Taro smiled. "Just remember, Tristan, that even if this is a training match, I am not gonna be nice and bend over so you can kick my butt! I'm gonna get into this very hard and fast!"

"Yeah! The same is gonna go double for me, Taro!" Tristan chuckled, smiling.

"Man, why can't I be goin' first?" Joey sighed, hanging his head down.  
"Because we had a straw drawing, Joey, and you got blue, just like my dad." Yugi replied. "Now please be quiet so we can watch this Duel. It should be interesting."

"Duel!" Taro and Tristan both cried out, their Life Point counters rolling to 4000 each, as both drew their first five cards, Tristan smiling. "I'll kick things off! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Tristan looked at his hand, taking his first Monster and slapped it onto the Field. "I summon Bubbleman in Attack Mode!"

Bubbleman spun as bubbles surrounded his body and he thrusted the air with left arm extended. "Since I summoned Bubbleman while he was the only card on my side of the Field, I can draw two cards!" Drawing two cards, Tristan took a Magic Card from his hand, showing it to Taro. "I will next play the Magic Card, Polymerization! I'll send Bubbleman from my side of the Field and Featherman and Sparkman from my hand to make a three-way Fusion!"

Tristan pulled a card from his Fusion Deck and smiled, showing it to Taro. "I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Tempester in Attack Mode!"

A blast of wind, a crackle of thunder, and a spray of water appeared on Tristan's side of the Field, and then appeared a large muscular Elemental Hero, who had armor like Sparkman's armor, a cannon on his left arm similar to Bubbleman, with a clawed wrist armor for his right arm like Featherman's claw, green spikey hair, a visor over his face, and Featherman's wings.

ELEMENTAL HERO TEMPESTER (English Name: Elemental Hero Tempest)  
Wind/Warrior-Fusion/8/2800 ATK/2800 DEF "Elemental Hero Featherman" + "Elemental Hero Sparkman" + "Elemental Hero Bubbleman"  
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon. By sending 1 card (except this card) from your side of the Field to the Graveyard, select 1 Monster on your side of the Field. While this card is face-up on the Field, the selected Monster is not destroyed as a result of battle. (Damage calculation is applied normally.)

"I'll then set a card face-down." Tristan added, sliding a face-down Magic/Trap Card into his Magic/Trap Card Zone, now having 3 cards in his hand. "I now end my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Drawing his sixth card, Taro grinned and said "Dude, this is cool to see you busting out a new Elemental Hero Fusion Monster in this practice Duel! Shows ya you are serious! Now, I play X-Head Cannon in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, X-Head Cannon locked its' cannons into place. Taro took another card from his hand and played it. "Now I play the Magic Card, Bonds of Brotherhood! I pay 1000 Life Points, so I will Special Summon 2 Light-Attribute and Machine-Type Monsters from my Deck to the Field! Here comes Y-Dragon Head! And Z-Metal Tank!"

Taro's Life Point counter rolled from 4000 to 3000, his Deck having two cards begin to glow and then Y-Dragon Head and Z-Metal Tank appeared onto the Field in Defense Mode. Taro thrusted his hand forward and grinned. "I'll now remove from play X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank to Special Summon my own big gun Fusion Monster! Guys, combine to become the all-powerful XYZ-Dragon Cannon!!"

X rocketed up into the air, Y, and Z right behind, X linking its' body into Y's, Y's wings detaching from its' body, its' legs folding up while it locked into Z's body, XYZ-Dragon Cannon's shoulder cannons locking into place.

"Now... we got a stand-off... XYZ-Dragon Cannon and Tempester have the same attack points, so that means if one attacks, both go bye-bye. How they are gonna get past this makes me get all pumped up." Joey grinned.

Tempester ATK - 2800 XYZ-Dragon Cannon ATK - 2800

"Just wait, Joey. I'm sure Tempester's effect will surprise you." Yugi smiled.  
Taro took another card from his hand and slid it also into his Magic/Trap Card Zone. "I'll also set down a face-down card, and end my turn!"

Tristan smiled and placed his hand on his Deck. "My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, he looked at his options. Taking another Monster from his hand, Tristan played it onto his Monster Card Zone.

"I now play Dragon Human in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a blonde-haired young man with dragon's ears and horn in his forehead, as well as a long two-handed sword, with a red cape, and green robes with brown boots as he grunted.

DRAGON HUMAN Earth/Warrior/4/1300 ATK/1100 DEF

"Now I will activate Tempester's effect! By sending Double Snare from my side of the Field to the Graveyard, I can select 1 Monster on my side of the Field and while Tempester's in play, that Monster won't be destroyed as a result of battle. So I select Tempester for his own effect!"

DOUBLE SNARE Normal Magic Card Effect: Select 1 face-up card on the Field that has the effect that negates Trap Cards' effects and destroy it.

Double Snare's card flipped face-up, disappearing, as Tempester's body began to glow, then Tristan called out his next move. "Tempester, attack XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Leaping into the air, Tempester floated up into the air, aiming his cannon at XYZ-Dragon Cannon. "Chaos Tempest!!" A blast of water shot out from Tempester's cannon, blowing right through XYZ-Dragon Cannon, blowing it up without dropping Taro's Life Points. But that left Dragon Human on the Field to hit his Life Points.

"Dragon Human, attack his Life Points directly!" Tristan called out. Taro grinned and then thrusted his hand forward. "I play the Trap Card, Draining Shield!" Suddenly, a blue barrier wrapped around Taro, blocking Dragon Human's sword, as he smiled, his Life Points going up from 3000 to 4300. "And with that, Draining Shield negates Dragon Human's attack, AND gaining 1300 Life Points, so that means I'm safe."

"Not bad, Taro. I'll end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Taro drew his next card and slapped his Monster onto his Duel Disk. "I play Steamroid in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, a very cartoon-like locomotive with eyes appeared onto the Field, with a red caboose as it grunted.

STEAMROID Earth/Machine/4/1800 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points when this card attacks a Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. Decrease the ATK of this card by 500 points when this card is attacked by a Monster on your opponent's side of the Field.

"Steamroid! Attack Dragon Human!!" Taro cried out. Steamroid shot forward like a train, steam blowing from its' smokestack. "Steamroid's first effect activates! When he battles a Monster on your side of the Field, his ATK goes up by 500 points!!"

Steamroid then smashed into Dragon Human, who cried out, then exploded, Tristan's Life Points dropped to 3000 in one turn. Taro then took another card from his hand and set it. "I'll next set a card face-down, and that's that!"

"My turn, draw!" Tristan drew his next card, looking at his cards. Everyone else watching looked on as Yugi looked on. "Well, I must say, Taro may have made a slight mistake when he summoned Steamroid in Attack Mode. If Tristan attacks his Steamroid with Tempester, its' other effect is gonna kick in with its' ATK going down by 500 points when a Monster battles it. This could be bad..."

"Yeah. I guess it's the one hitch Taro forgot about when he chose t' summon Steamroid." Joey added.

"But he may have something in mind." Yuu smiled. "Just wait and see, boys."

"My turn. Draw!" Tristan drew his next card, he then played another Monster from his hand. "Now I play Elemental Hero Wildman in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, Wildman appeared next to Tempester, drawing his sword out, and gripping it. "I'll then play a face-down card. Now! Let's start this! Wildman! Attack Steamroid!" Wildman leapt forward, his sword handle gripped in his hands as he slashed at Steamroid, slashing him in half, and dropping Taro's Life Points by 200 points to 4100.

"Now, your Life Points are wide open! Tempester, player Direct Attack!! Chaos Tempest!!" Tempester raised his cannon up and fired, as Taro then quickly cried out. "QUICKPLAY MAGIC CARD!!! SCAPEGOAT!!!"

With his play of Scapegoat, the 4 Sheep Tokens appeared onto the Field, the orange sheep token hit by the Chaos Tempest and destroyed as Taro sat down, exhaling. "Man, that was kinda scary... but that's what I love about this game!"

"Turn end." Tristan replied. "Not too much for you, is it, Taro?"

"Not at all, Tristan, 'cause I'd letcha know if it was." Taro grinned, standing up, dusting himself off. "I just needed a quick sitdown since that really got my adrenaline flowing. Alright, now it's my turn!" Drawing a card from his Deck, Taro saw he had Enemy Controller. He just grinned and snickered.

Joey looked at Yuu and smiled. "So, this is whatcha meant by just wait and see, huh, Mr. Mutoh?"  
"Of course. The tide of a Duel can change with the waves. As long as both players give it their best and try to have fun, that's the most important thing. Even if this is just practice, Taro and Tristan are both playing at their 100% best right now, giving each other flows and ebbs, strikes and counter-strikes you'd except from the Pro Leagues." Yuu smiled. "It's nice to see how much this generation has grown."

"Now then! I play this Magic Card! Enemy Controller!" Taro smiled. "I'll activate its' second effect, by sacrificing a Sheep Token first...: In a flash, the blue Sheep Token disappeared, as Tempester flashed and appeared on Taro's side of the Field. "And take control of Tempester for this turn!"

"Oh, crap!" Tristan thought. Taro smiled and then thrusted his hand, open-palmed, towards Tristan. "Elemental Hero Tempester, attack Wildman!"

Tempester then shot his Chaos Tempest attack forward, blowing Wildman up and lowering Tristan's Life Points by 1300 points to 1700 as he cried out. "Trap Card, open!" Slashing his hand up into the air, the pointy-haired of Yugi's friends activated his set card, revealing Hero Signal. "Hero Signal! This card can only be activated when a Monster on my side of the Field is destroyed as a result of a battle. Now I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Monster that includes Elemental Hero in its' card name from my hand or Deck! I'll pick Deck, and I Special Summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense Mode!"

In a flash, Elemental Hero Clayman appeared onto the Field, crossing his arms over his body, knelt down on his horizontal card, grunting as he did.

HERO SIGNAL Normal Trap Card Effect: This card's effect is activated when a Monster on your side of the Field is sent to the Graveyard as a result of Battle. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Monster Monster Card that includes "Elemental Hero" in its' card name from your hand or Deck to the Field.

"Not bad!" Taro smiled. "Now I Sacrifice Tempester and I summon Cyber-Tech Alligator in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Tempester was gone, and in his place was Cyber-Tech Alligator roaring as it slashed the air with its' mechanical claw, snarling. "And that's the end of my turn! You're up, Tristan. Don't waste whatever chance ya got."

"Oh, I don't plan to do so! Draw!" Tristan grinned.

"Hey, Tristan, if Taro kicks your butt, dude, I'm gonna say I told ya that it wasn't gonna be easy to adjust to Dueling, monkey boy." Teased Joey, snickering once he was done playfully ribbing Tristan.

Tristan twitched and said "Just watch and learn, doggy! First up, I play Fusion Recovery! Fusion Recovery lets me add 1 Monster that was used in a Fusion Summon and one copy of Polymerization from my Graveyard to my hand! So I'll add Bubbleman and Polymerization back to my hand!"

FUSION RECOVERY Normal Magic Card Effect: Add 1 "Polymerization" and 1 Fusion Material Monster that was used for a Fusion Summon from your Graveyard to your hand.

Grabbing his two cards, Tristan then held them up. "Now I play Polymerization, and fuse Clayman and Bubbleman together!"

In a flash, Clayman was joined by Bubbleman, both of them spiralling together as Tristan then held up his new Fusion Monster. "And Fusion Summon! Elemental Hero Mudballman in Attack Mode!"

In a flash appeared a new Monster much like Clayman in appearance, with a rounded face almost like Bubbleman on the chest, dark blue for his elbows and knees, as well as light blue orbs in the palms of his hands.

ELEMENTAL HERO MUDBALLMAN Earth/Warrior-Fusion/6/1900 ATK/3000 DEF "Elemental Hero Clayman" + "Elemental Hero Bubbleman"  
Effect: This card cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon.

"Waitasec... Mudballman's got an ATK of 1900, Tristan. If you attack my Cyber-Tech Alligator with him, you'd just suicide yourself." Taro blinked.

Tristan smiled, having another card in his hand. "I anticipated you'd think that. Now it's time I take a page from Joey's book!" Showing his next card, Tristan showed a Normal Magic Card with orange armor on it, with a blue orb on the shield and an orange one on the sword, both with the respective DEF and ATK on it, with arrows going towards the other. "I play the Magic Card! Shield and Sword!"

Suddenly, Cyber-Tech Alligator and Mudballman began to glow, then... the light was gone, and their ATK and DEF had been changed, with Mudballman now being 3000/1900, and Cyber-Tech Alligator being 1600/2500. Taro cried out in surprise, everyone else gasping as Melody spoke up first. "What a brilliant move! With Cyber-Tech Alligator's now weakened ATK, Mudballman can easily destroy it and hurt Taro's Life Points in the process. Tristan really is good!"

Joey began to mutter, arms crossed, a cross tone in his voice. "Not good, Mel, just damn lucky!"

"Now! Mudballman, attack Cyber-Tech Alligator! Mud Circle!" Mudballman clasped his hands together, shooting out a blast of red energy forward, ripping through Cyber-Tech Alligator, blowing it up, Taro crying out as he had his arms crossed over his body, his Life Points rolling from 4100 to 2700. "I'll take another card and set it face-down, ending my turn." Turning, Tristan then snapped at Joey. "Hey, Joey, if you think I'm lucky, look who's talkin', mister!"

"Dammit, Tristan, I ain't lucky in the least!!" Joey snapped in return. "I told ya already I'm just that good!"  
"Uh, yeah, right!" Tristan then began to count. "Let's see... lucky vs. Rex, Keith, Roba, not so much with Mako or Weevil... no, no, make that highly likely with Weevil since you maanged to snag his Eradicating Aerosol..."

"Grrrr... HOW'D YA LIKE IT IF I SHOWED YA I AIN'T LUCKY IN THE LEAST!?!" Joey cried out at the top of his lungs.

"Uhh.... guys, maybe you could wait to fight til after the Duel?" Mai asked, blinking rapidly.

"I agree with Mai. You two are acting like boneheads, more than usual." T a huffed, crossing her arms, and closing her eyes.

"Oh, so this is pretty common with you guys? And here I thought it was just something out of the ordinary for these two." Vivian smiled. "But then again, I haven't hung out with you all long enough to know what is common and uncommon."

Melody giggled. "Now I can see why these two are such good friends."

Tristan exhaled and said "OK, Taro, your turn."

"Right-o! My turn. Draw." Taro drew his next card, looking at his hand to see what he could do against Mudballman. He exhaled and took Pot of Greed from his hand, showing it to Tristan. "I now play Pot of Greed!" Drawing 2 cards, Taro saw he had Gear Golem the Moving Fortess and Life-Risking Charge. He nodded and said "I play Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in Attack Mode!"

Landing down, Gear Golem locked into place, Taro taking Life-Risking Charge! and throwing it up into the air. "Next I play Life-Risking Charge!, decreasing my Life Points by 1000 so that if Gear Golem, who meets its' requirement of a Monster with an ATK of 1000 or less, attacks and deals damage to ya, you take damage equal to his DEF!"

Taro's Life Points - 1700

"This is the same move he used to beat me!" Joey blinked. "Kind of a messed-up, cowardly way to win if you ask me!"  
Yuu chuckled. "It's brilliant. It shows Taro is thinking on his feet. That's the best thing someone can do in a Duel, Joey."

"If you say so, Mr. Mutoh..." Joey blinked.

Yugi shook his head. "Dad's right. Thinking all kinds of tactics beforehand is a good thing, and so can thinking on your feet. That is what makes this game so great!"

"Now, I pay 800 Life Points, putting me at 900 Life, and I'll have Gear Golem direct attack!" Slamming its' arms down, Gear Golem shot off the spikes from its' arms, the spikes exploding around Tristan, who cried out for a second, his Life Points decreased to 900 also, as Taro then smiled and said "And now, you'll take an additional 2200 points of damage, and since you're at 900, that means game over."

Tristan nodded, his Life Points rolling down from 900 to 0 as he grinned. "Man, that was one hell of a move, Taro!"

"Aw..." Taro blushed at Tristan's compliment, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just a tactic that's smart to use when it comes to a Monster like Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, Tristan. You did pretty well yourself, using Shield and Sword with Mudballman like that! I mean, I woulda thought of it, I'm just..."

"Dude, dude, dude, I getcha, and thanks for that." Tristan said, walking and talking with Taro. "We gotta do this again sometime."  
"Yep! I think this shows we're pretty prepped for the Cecilia Cup!" Taro grinned. "No need to modify our Decks here."

"Good to hear it." Yuu smiled, grabbing his Duel Disk. "Dad, I still wish you would choose to compete in the Cecilia Cup. I know how much fun you've been having since I reminded you about how games gotta be fun a few years back... so why'd you decide to decline in a shot of having some fun against these kids?"

"Yuu, I've already made my one big dream in Duel Monsters become true during the KaibaCorp Grand Prix when I was finally able to summon Ancient Dragon by the Ancient combo method. Besides, someone needs to mind the Kame Game Shop while the Cup goes on, given I could get a lot of customers! And it's time for you, your son, your nephew, and their friends to shine. I've done all I can. Just have as much fun for me as you can." Solomon replied.

"I will, Dad." Yuu grinned. Sukiko looked at Yuu and said "Dear, who were you supposed to be practicing with?"

"Joey. Joey, can we get a move on?" Yuu smiled, placing his Duel Disk on and grabbing his Duel Disk, and locking it into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, stretching.

Joey stood up and nodded, looking a bit nervous since he remembered how strong Yugi's dad was, and it just made him wonder if he stood a chance. He then shook his head and thought 'Why am I so worried?! I normally could accept any challenge with no worries, but this is, like, a whole new ballgame... considering also I haven't been 100% for most of this year. I gotta just relax...'

Joey took his Deck, locking it into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder, both he and Yuu standing across from one another, both of them looking on, Yuu smiling, Joey looking slightly nervous. "DUEL!"

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	45. Chapter 45

Episode 45 - Gem/Crystal vs. Warrior/Beast-Warrior!!

Yuu looked at his five cards and smiled. "I'll start things off, Joey. Draw!" Drawing his first card, Yuu looked at his hand, and exhaled. "First things first, I'll set one card face-down. Next, I play Jade Dragon in Attack Mode!"

A sparkling emerald light appeared in front of Yuu, then a green colored Sapphire Dragon with an orange stomach appeared, roaring, spreading its' small curved wings.

JADE DRAGON Wind/Dragon/4/1800 ATK/1000 DEF

"And that's the end of my turn." Yuu smiled.

"My turn. Draw." Joey drew his next card, looking at his hand. He looked... unsteady though. Not like how he had been almost half a year ago. But he had been feeling different lately, not like himself at all. The first one to notice it was Yugi, who looked on.

"Guys, is it me, or does Joey seem different today? Then again, he's been pretty serious in a Duel. lately. I wonder why he's been so serious lately... he's been like this since Atem has left..."  
"Yeah..." Tristan blinked. "Why is he so serious... but now so...?"

Joey exhaled, taking a card from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Disk's Monster Card Zone. "I play Panther Warrior in Attack Mode." In a flash, Panther Warrior appeared, roaring as he slashed the air with his sword. 'But since I can't attack with him without needing a Sacrifice, I'm gonna need to do this carefully...'

"Next, I'll set a face-down card also, and that's the end of that." Joey replied, a face-down card flashing behind Panther Warrior.

"My turn. Draw!" Yuu drew his next card and scratched his head. He then exhaled and said "I'll end my turn with just what I got. Your turn." Smiling, Yuu just passed his turn to Joey, keeping that smile.

Joey nodded. "My turn." Drawing his next card, Joey then played his next Monster. "Now I play Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei in Attack Mode."  
In a flash, a large muscular orange-skinned humanoid with brown fur over its' legs with clawd toes and a tail, a maroon spiked helmet as well as a maroon chestplate of armor, as well as shoulder armor, and a tail appeared, punching the air with his large arm.

INDOMITABLE FIGHTER LEI LEI Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/2300 ATK/0 DEF Effect: If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Mode at the end of the Battle Phase. This position cannot be changed until the end of your next turn, except with a card effect.

"Now, to start things off!" Joey thrusted his hand forward. "Lei Lei! Attack Jade Dragon!" Lei Lei charged forward, then tackled Jade Dragon, clenching his hands together, slamming them hard onto Jade Dragon, destroying it, and dropping Yuu's Life Points by 500 points to 3500. Lei Lei then skidded back to Joey's side of the Field, panting, then landing on his bottom, his Battle Position switched due to his effect.

Lei Lei DEF - 0

"Once Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei has attacked, he's switched from Attack Mode to Defense Mode and he can't change unless I use a Magic or Trap Card to do so. Next up! Panther Warrior's effect activate! I Sacrifice Lei Lei in order for Panther Warrior to attack!" Panther Warrior's sword began to glow, as Lei Lei disappeared in a flow of light, the light wrapping around Panther Warrior's side.

"Panther Warrior! Attack his Life Points directly!!" Joey cried out, as Panther Warrior roared, slashing the air. Yuu quickly tapped a button on his Duel Disk. "I play the Trap Card, Nutrient Z! Its' effect activates when I take Battle Damage of 2000 or more and during the Damage Step! That means I'll gain 4000 Life Points, and then lose LP equal to what the Battle Damage was going to be. That means I gain up to 7500 from this, and then.. subtract the 2000 from Panther Warrior, and..." Yuu cried out, his Life Point counter rolling from 7500 to 5500.

"Damn. Ok, I'll set another card down, and that's the end of my turn." Joey said, looking sombre for some reason. Yuu saw this expression of uncertainity on Joey's face, and spoke up. "What's the matter, Joey? Why are you acting like you aren't having fun at all?"

"Huh?" Joey blinked.

"You seem so distracted all of a sudden, Joey. I mean, it was a good move you made. A common strategy when using a Monster that needs a Sacrifice to attack like Panther Warrior, but you seem like you don't want to push yourself any further, just because you're scared. Why?"

"Well..." Joey sighed. "I guess it's because I saw how much I had been trying to be like Atem... that I lost sight of how I was whenever I play Duel Monsters now... even if Taro helped me out awhile back, I still just... I, I dunno, Mr. Mutoh, it's like if I'm gonna Duel, I gotta be win, win, win, all serious and brooding all the time and..."

"Just relax." Yuu smiled. "Just relax, and it will all come to you. Myself, I have always known how games are meant to be fun, even if my father had taken much seriousness with them too. All of that changed once we played a game of chess when I was in my last year of high school."

Solomon smiled, crossing his arms, nodding rapidly as Yuu continued to speak. "Dad and I played a game of chess. It came pretty close, but in the end, I barely was able to get a checkmate. He did wonder a bit of how come I wasn't in the least bit nervous whatsoever when I played him, considering he'd been unbeaten until that point."

"You simply said 'A game is meant to be fun, isn't it?' and I remembered that once more as well..." Solomon smiled. "I had forgotten it in all of the many exciting and at times dangerous games I had played. But remembering it again... it felt so good! Especially in my golden years when after Yuu lost, I hung up my tuxedo and quit playing games worldwide, opening up a game shop to teach children the same value my son had taught me."

"And I want you to find your own answer, Joey, but just relax to find it. There is no need for you to be like the Nameless Pharaoh... since you can be strong in your own way. My turn! Draw!" Yuu drew his next card and played it. "Now I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, Yuu then took another Magic Card from his hand and played it. "Next up, I play the Magic Card, Silent Doom! It lets me Special Summon 1 Normal Monster from my Graveyard to the Field in face-up Defense Mode, but it can't attack while it's on the Field. So, Jade Dragon, return to the Field!"

Jade Dragon appeared once more, kneeling over its' horizontally turned card, a small roar coming from it as it remained knelt down.

Jade Dragon DEF - 1000

"Next, I Sacrifice Jade Dragon and I summon Diamond Golem in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Jade Dragon disappeared and in its' place stood a large golem of clear ice blue diamond, red glowing eyes and red connections for its' arms, legs, knees, and elbows. It roared, punching the air, clenching its' hand.

DIAMOND GOLEM Light/Rock/6/2500 ATK/800 DEF Effect: If you do not attack with this card, inflict 500 points of damage to your Life Points. When this card attacks with an ATK higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

"Diamond Golem's effects are simple, Joey my boy. 500 points of damage is done to me if I don't attack with him, and if he attacks a Monster in Defense Mode, the damage of his ATK is carried over if his ATK surpasses the Monster's DEF. That as you know is also called Piercing Battle Damage. Now, it's time to rock and roll! Diamond Golem, attack Panther Warrior! Diamond Knuckle!!"

Diamond Golem leapt into the air, pulling its' fist back, then slammed Panther Warrior hard, destroying him and dropping Joey's Life Points by 500 points to 3500. Joey gritted his teeth, then exhaled, thrusting his hand forward. "Now I play the Quickplay Magic Card, Scapegoat!"

In a flash, the blue, orange, pink, and red Sheep Tokens appeared on the Field, bleating as they did.

"Not bad, even if it's gonna hurt a lot if I get Diamond Golem to attack them. I'll set a card face-down, then end my turn." Yuu smiled. "OK, Joey. Lemme see you come at me with no worries or concerns of the outcome."

"But... Mr. Mutoh, that's..." Joey started to speak before Yuu smiled.

"What? Worried about the fact that a Duel's only got to have one victor and one loser? If you think like that, that's lunacy. As long as both Duelists can give 100... no, make it 1,000% of their skill and their Deck's capability, that makes both Duelists winners in the end! That's how I feel. I've always told Yugi this Italian proverb; at the end of the game, the king and the pawn go to the same box. Now, since you're my son's best friend, Joey, I'm passing them onto you, to help you."

"Yeah..." Joey smiled. "Yeah! I, I think I'm gettin' it now. Thanks! OK! My turn! Draw!" Drawing his next card, Joey smiled as he showed his Magic Card to Yuu. "Now I play the Magic Card, Block Attack! When this Magic Card is activated, I select 1 face-up Attack Mode Monster on your side of the Field, and BAM! It goes to Defense Mode! And the only one you got is Diamond Golem, soooo he's gonna take a shift now!"

Suddenly, Diamond Golem knelt down, arms crossed over its' body, now switched to Defense Mode.

Diamond Golem DEF - 800

"Next up, I'll play a set card from earlier. That card is Treasure of Destiny! Whatever roll of a dice I get with it, I get to draw that many cards, and remove from play that same number! It's a fair exchange, based heavily on luck. And I got 3 cards, so whatever I can draw can help! That's why it's also called Roll of Fate!" In a flash, a blue dice rolled out of Treasure of Destiny's card, bouncing forward then landing on 6 as Joey whooped with joy, drawing his six cards, then picking six more from hsi Deck, removing them from play.

He looked at his newly refreshed hand of 9 cards, and smiled, as he took Shield Crush and thrusted it towards Yuu. "To add some insult to injury, I play Shield Crush, which lets me destroy 1 Defense Mode Monster on the Field, so say buh-bye to Diamond Golem!"

Diamond Golem's body began to crackle, then shattered as Joey smiled, speaking jokingly. "Well, I guess diamond ain't so tough after all! Now I play Abare Ushioni, the Rowdy Bull Demon, in Attack Mode!"

In a snort, a large red bull with white marks along its' body, a third eye in its' forehead, and two large yellow horns bellowed, stamping its' two front hooves onto the ground, bellowing as it took a battle stance.

ABARE USHIONI Earth/Beast-Warrior/4/1200 ATK/1200 DEF Effect: Toss a coin and call it. If you call it right, inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points. If you call it wrong, you take 1000 points of damage. You can only use this effect once per turn, during your Main Phase.

"Abare Ushioni! Player direct attack!" Joey cried out, as Abare Ushioni charged forward, slamming hard into Yuu's gut, dropping his Life Points from 5500 to 4300 points. Yuu smiled, then began to laugh heartily. "Now this is more like it! That was a brilliant combo you had!"

"Aw, stop! Now I feel like I gotta be nice, dude... I mean, Mr. Mutoh!" Joey chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. He then smiled at his cards as he took two cards from his 8 card hand, sliding them in the back of his Duel Disk. "Now I'll set two cards face-down. Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw." Yuu drew his next card, and smiled. "Now I play my own set card. Hidden Book of Spell! This Trap Card lets me add 2 Magic Cards from my Graveyard to my Deck. But the catch is I can't activate until my turn, so that means no-no on your turn. So I'll add back Pot of Greed and Silent Doom to my Deck, and shuffle my Deck."

HIDDEN BOOK OF SPELL Normal Trap Card Effect: You can only activate this card during your turn. Select 2 Magic Cards from your Graveyard and add them to your Deck. Your Deck is then shuffled.

Pot of Greed and Silent Doom slid out of Yuu's Graveyard slot, then disappeared back into his Deck, which he pulled out and shuffled before sliding it into his Duel Disk's Deck Holder once again, just still having 4 cards in his hand. Yuu took another card from his hand and smiled. "I play The Creator Incarnate in Attack Mode!"

Appearing in front of Yuu, a golden armored tan-skinned warrior with a red cape and metallic half circle attached to it, aolng with a red bit of lining which left his legs visible as he held a curved sword in his hand.

THE CREATOR INCARNATE Light/Warrior/4/1600 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: Sacrifice this card to Special Summon 1 "The Creator" from your hand.

"Creator Incarnate! Attack Abare Ushioni!" Yuu called out. The Creator Incarnate leapt into the air, then slashed Abare Ushioni right in half, dropping Joey's Life Points from 3500 to 3100 as Joey gritted his teeth, as Yuu exhaled, smiling. "Now I'll set a card face-down. Turn end!"

"My turn, draw!" Joey drew his next card and then thrusted his hand forward at one of his set cards. "Now I activate the Trap Card, Sixth Sense!"  
"Hmmmm..." Yuu said thoughtfully, smiling.

"Sixth Sense? Hey, isn't that a dice based card?" Taro asked. "I mean, I know it's been restricted 'cause of its' effect, but I forget what it does exactly. I've never actually Dueled anyone who's used it in their Decks..."

Duke smiled. "I know this card because I pride myself in knowing all sorts of dice cards. Taro. Sixth Sense is simple. You call 2 numbers between 1 and 6. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are your calls. Your opponent then rolls a six-sided dice. If the result is one of your called numbers, you draw that many cards, but if it isn't, you have to place cards of that number from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard."

Mai chuckled and said "Well, it figures you'd like dice cards since you did create Dungeon Dice Monsters, the second most popular game that I2 has made... well, at least in the eyes of Duel Monsters."

Duke sighed, and crossed his arms. "Just wait til it's my turn. If you knock my game, I'll burn ya!"

"Problem is when you two drew straws, you didn't match, so that means you won't be Dueling against each other, right?" Sukiko said, blinking.

"Don't remind me, Mrs. Mutoh..." Duke sighed. "I had to get paired up with no one. I was the odd duck out... man, why do I gotta be the one who doesn't get to Duel!? I got more experience than T a, Tristan, or even Melody do when it comes to Duel Monsters!! So how come I got the bad straw!?"

"Maybe it's because you suck?" Taro blinked. "I mean, there was me, Yugi, Joey, T a, Tristan, Mel, you, Uncle Yuu, Mai, Vivian, and Lee. That's 11 of us, so one of us had to be the odd man or woman out, and that had to be you, simply because your luck sucks, dude."

Duke then sighed, down on his hands and knees, his eyes closed as he sighed again, a dramatic spotlight over him. "I still don't gotta like it, Taro!"

"Stop complainin', Duke!" Taro cried out. "There's gonna be other opportunities for you to Duel!"

"Hey, uh, can we get back to this Duel?" Joey blinked. "Mr. M, I pick 5 and 6 as my cards of choice. If you'd do the honors."

"With pleasure." Yuu smiled, as he nodded, a red dice rolling forward, his arms crossed, Joey looking on in anticipation. He then watched as the dice landed on two! Joey groaned, but chuckled, picking up the top two cards of his Deck, picking up Hero Kids and Guidance of Destiny, sliding them into his Graveyard slot. He exhaled, looking at his hand and smiled. 'Wait a sec! Oh, man! I just had a killer idea.'

"Now, I play the set Magic Card I had! Token Thanksgiving! I'll destroy all 3 of my Sheep Tokens and gain 2400 Life Points back in the process!" In a flash, all of Joey's Sheep Tokens disappeared, his Life Points going from 3100 to 5500, as he then took another Magic Card from his hand and smiled. "Next up, I play Premature Burial! By decreasing my Life Points by 800 points, I can Special Summon a Monster equipped with it from my Graveyard in Attack Mode. A big risk for my Monster... but I Special Summon Hero Kids!"

In a flash, a space age hero (or was it heroine?) appeared, with black legging and cloth along the arms. Hero Kids also had black along the middle of its' chest, with red around the arms and the rest of the upper torso. Hero Kids also had two wing-like panels on its' shoulders, red and white in color, with wrist armor mostly white, with red along the bottom of the rest and near the elbows, as well as similar design for its' leg armor, with one wing panel on each side, as well as a glass helmet, with a red mask over it's face, dark purple hair and a yellow scarf around its' neck.

HERO KIDS Earth/Warrior/2/300 ATK/600 DEF Effect: When this card is Special Summoned successfully, Special Summon any copies of "Hero Kids" from your Deck to your side of the Field.

"And since I've Special Summoned Hero Kids, I'm gonna activate its' effect, and thus Special Summon 2 more from my Deck to the Field!" In a flash of light, two more Hero Kids appeared on the opposite sides of the initial Hero Kids Joey had on the Field. "Next up, I'll Sacrifice all 3 Hero Kids for a big gun. One of my best Monsters! I Summon Gilford the Lightning in Attack Mode!"

A crash of thunder boomed through the skies as Yuu looked up in awe, everyone else doing the same as in a crash, appeared a silver armored warrior with a very intricately designed helmet, with two claw-like spikes on the sides, a silver mask, red under another horn, as well as having a red cape, as well as red cloth along near his legs, as well as silver armor over his ankles with black boots covering his feet, as he also had a large sword in a sheath against his back.

GILFORD THE LIGHTNING Light/Warrior/8/2800 ATK/1400 DEF Effect: If you Sacrifice Summon this card by Sacrificing 3 Monsters, destroy all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field.

"WHOA!!!" Taro cried out in awe. "Gilford the Lightning! Man, whatever Joey did to get him, he is one lucky bastard, especially since he got his effect!"  
"His effect?" Melody asked.

"Mmm-hmmm." T a smiled. "When you Sacrifice 3 Monsters to summon Gilford the Lightning instead of 2, Melody, he can destroy all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field. Very much like how the Magic Card Raigeki does that too. Hence, his nickname of a built-in Raigeki, but because of the 3 Monster Sacrifice to get him out, he hasn't been restricted. He is indeed the strongest of Joey's Monsters with his ATK of 2800 points. Not very many Monsters can also stand up to his effect."

"Tell me about it." Mai smiled also. "When I was with Doma, I was on the rough end of Gilford the Lightning's attack... and we know that your dad will be in for a world of hurt, Yugi."

"No... I think Dad's ready for it!" Yugi concluded. "I got a feeling. My dad is one of the best Duelists and gamers I know, and I know he'd have fun, but wouldn't let Joey get this off without having a plan."

"Since I Sacrifice Summoned GIlford the Lightning by Sacrificing my 3 Hero Kids, I can destroy all Monsters on your side of the Field! Gilford!" Joey cried out, Gilford the Lightning pulling his sword out and slashing the air, a crash of thunder flying out as Yuu smiled. "Counter Trap Card, activate! Divine Wrath!"

"Divine Wrath?!" Joey asked, a look of dumbfound surprise on his face as Yuu smiled. "Divine Wrath is a useful Counter Trap, Joey. It activates when an Effect Monster's effect activates. Now I can discard a card from my hand, negate the effect of your Effect Moster and destroy it at the same time!" Yuu took SInister Serpent from his hand, sliding it into his Duel Disk's Graveyard slot, and suddenly, a bolt of thunder crashed down, blasting Gilford the Lightning, destroying him and leaving Joey open as Joey gulped.

"Uh-oh..."

DIVINE WRATH Counter Trap Card Effect: Discard 1 card from your hand. Negate the activation and the effect of an Effect Monster and destroy the Monster.

"Alright, I'll set down a card and end my turn." Joey added. "How did you know I was going to do something like that, Mr. Mutoh?"

"I didn't. I just had Divne Wrath ready in case you were going to use a Trigger, Flip, Multi-Trigger, or Ignition Effect Monster's effect, and I guess I was just fortunate you summoned Gilford the Lightning with his effect in mind. You must have to work hard to make his effect work for you... and to actually get it!" Yuu smiled.

"Ehehe... yeah, I do work hard at it." Joey smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"My turn now. Draw!" Yuu drew his next card, now having two cards in his hand. "And now it's my Standby Phase, and I activate Sinister Serpent's effect. With his effect, I can add him to my hand from my Graveyard if he's in there during my Standby Phase. So Sinister Serpent... c'mon back!" In a flash, Sinister Serpent's card slid out, which Yuu grabbed, smiling, as he then continued his turn.

"Now I play Double Spell!" Yuu smiled. "With Double Spell's effect, I can discard a Magic Card from my hand and play a Magic Card in your Graveyard as if it was in my hand. So I'll discard Terraforming and I will play your Treasure of Destiny from your Graveyard." In a flash, Double Spell and Terraforming were gone, as Treasure of Destiny's effect began, the blue dice bouncing, and landing on 6, as Yuu smiled, drawing 6 new cards, then removing 6 cards in his Deck from play, but carefully selecting his cards so that he could do his best combos. He now had 7 cards in his hand, and took another Magic Card from his hand and smiled. "Now I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, which I just re-drew!"

Now, Yuu drew 2 more cards, now having 8 cards in his hand. He looked at his hand, examining all of the cards. He then took a Magic Card from his hand, showing it to Joey. "Next up, I play Graceful Charity! I can now draw 3 cards, then discard 2 cards from my hand." Drawing 3 cards, Yuu had 10 cards, and took from his hand Hyozanryu and Grave of Revival, discarding them to the Graveyard. He then had 8 cards once more and smiled. "Now I will activate the effect of The Creator Incarnate, Sacrificing him to Special Summon The Creator in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, The Creator Incarnate was gone and in his place stood a large orange-armored covered god with a golden circle along its' back, two large wings spreading out, as its' blue eyes, and the blue gem in its' forehead glowing brightly, its' arms raised to the air as it then clenched them tight.

THE CREATOR Light/Thunder/8/2300 ATK/3000 DEF Effect: Select 1 Monster from your Graveyard. Discard 1 card from your hand to the Graveyard, then Special Summon the selected Monster. You can use this effect only once per turn. This card cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard.

"Wh-what the-!?!" Joey cried out, looking in surprise.

"The Creator is one of my favorite cards, Joey. It may not have good ATK for a Level 8. It's only 2300, but its' DEF of 3000 and its' effect more than compensate for that fact. Now I'll activate The Creator's effect. I select Hyozanryu in my Graveyard, and now I'll discard a card from my hand to the Graveyard." Yuu smiled, taking Sinister Serpent, discarding it to the Graveyard again, as then, Hyozanryu appeared onto the Field, roaring loudly, its' body sparkling like the beautiful gem of value it was made from.

"Dad is gonna call it out! I know it!" Yugi cried out, as Mai, Vivian, and Lee looked all confused.  
"Huh? Yugi, what're you talking about?" Lee asked. "You sound like whatever it is your father has planned means game over for Joey."  
"It may be!" Yugi added.

"Next, I play the Magic Card, Crystal Evolution, Sacrificing Hyozanryu to Special Summon my second-greatest treasure! Now come out! Crystal Dragon in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Hyozanryu's body disappeared, and in his place stood the very long Crystal Dragon, curving itself right around The Creator, letting out a bellowing roar.

Crystal Dragon ATK - 3200

"That Monster is so beautiful..." Vivian said in awe, her cheeks slightly red. "I didn't think such a beautiful Dragon-Type Monster could exist in the game... I see why you wondered if Joey was in trouble, Yugi.."

"What the heck can that thing do!? It must be strong if it has 3200 ATK!" Mai asked.

"Crystal Dragon. It can't be Normal Summoned or Set. Only Special Summoned first by Crystal Evolution's effect..." Lee said. "I remember hearing this card of legend. Crystal Dragon can attack all Monsters on your opponent's side of the Field, and inflict 200 points of damage to their LP whenever it destroys a Monster. I never thought I'd get to see such an awe-inspiring Monster ever..."

"My dad's second-greatest treasure, next to me, my mom, and my grandpa, guys. He had told me he worked hard to get Crystal Dragon, saying it was a card he had wanted for some time, ever since he built his Gem Deck. Now, he's got it, and he uses it well..." Yugi said, smiling. "I am amazed still that Dad can use it..."

"Well, Joey. I gotta say, this Duel has been very fun." Yuu smiled. "You having fun?"  
Joey began to shake, but then calmed down, smiling. "Actually, to be honest, Mr. Mutoh, I am... I'm shaking because I know that you've got such big gun Monsters out, but I've been having fun since I know I've gotten to battle a good Duelist... one who made me see that I don't need to think that only one person can be a winner in a Duel..."

Joey's Life Points - 4700

"Alright then! Here I come! Creator! Attack first! Thunder of Creation!" The Creator raised its left arm up, a blast of thunder striking Joey as he cried out at the top of his lungs, his LP dropped from 4700 to 2400. That just meant if Crystal Dragon attacked, it was game over! Yuu then thrusted his hand forward. "Crystal Dragon! Attack Joey's Life Points directly for the finish!"

Crystal Dragon shot forward, roaring as it stood above Joey. Yuu then called out Crystal Dragon's attack. "CRYSTAL BLAZE!!!"

Crystal Dragon sho out a blaze of fire with crystal shards shooting forth as Joey gritted his teeth, taking the attack, but chuckling a bit, his Life Points standing at 1600, his set card flipped face-up. "How bad for you. I had the set Quickplay Magic Card, Hyper Refresh activated. It doubled my LP thanks to the fact your two Monsters had a combined ATK higher than my LP was at 4700, then at 2400 thanks to Creator's attack. Your Monsters had 2300 and 3200 for 5500 even. So, I got to double my LP to 4800 and save my butt then."

HYPER REFRESH Quickplay Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when you have no Monster Cards on your side of the Field, and your opponent has Monsters on the Field whose total combined ATK is higher than your total Life Points. Double your Life Points.

"Well, I shoulda suspected this, but I guess I got a lil hasty." Yuu smiled, having 5 cards left, taking two and setting them face-down. "I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn then..." Joey smiled. "Draw!" Drawing his next card, Joey saw his hand, but smiled. He then took Pot of Greed from his hand and played it. "Now I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my Deck!" Joey drew two more cards, having drawn Red Eyes Black Dragon and King of the Swamp. He also had Meteor Dragon in his hand, knowing now was a good time to show off one of his most powerful Monsters, his ultimate Monster essentially. He took King of the Swamp from his hand and showed it to Yuu.

"I now activate the effect of King of the Swamp, discarding it from my hand to add 1 copy of Polymerization from my Deck to my hand!" Placing it onto his Graveyard slot, King of the Swamp disappeared, Joey's Graveyard slot flashing away as Joey grabbed his copy of Polymerization, then shuffled his Deck, placing it into his Deck holder.

"Now it's time for me to play one of my big guns! I play the Magic Card, Polymerization! I'll send Red Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon from my hand to the Graveyard!" In a flash, Red Eyes Black Dragon and a rounded orange magma covered, purple skinned dragon with red eyes appeared, black wings flapping as well as a purple tail as it and Red Eyes Black Dragon spiralled together. "Meteor Black Dragon! Fusion Summoned in Attack Mode!"

And in Red Eyes Black Dragon and Meteor Dragon's black stood a large dark purple dragon with cracks along its' body with red and orange magma showing, its' eyes glowing red as it roared, slamming down its' two feet, and slashing the air with its' black claws.

METEOR DRAGON Earth/Dragon/6/1800 ATK/2000 DEF

METEOR BLACK DRAGON Fire/Dragon-Fusion/8/3500 ATK/2000 DEF "Red Eyes Black Dragon" + "Meteor Dragon"

"Whoa. Where the heck did Joey get that Red Eyes Black Dragon Fusion Monster?!" Tristan blinked rapidly.  
"I dunno! But that has to be one of the strongest Monsters in his Deck with its' ATK of 3500!" Yugi blinked.

"I next play the Equip Magic Card, Salamandra." Joey smiled. "This Magic Card powers up the ATK of a FIRE Monster by 700 pointsm, and since Meteor Black Dragon is a FIRE Attribute Monster, that means it'll be at 4200 points!"

SALAMANDRA Equip Magic Card Effect: Increase the ATK of a FIRE Monster equipped with this card by 700 points.

Meteor Black Dragon roared, flames circling around it, its' ATK raised from 3500 to 4200! "Meteor Black Dragon! Attack The Creator!" Joey cried out, as Meteor Black Dragon roared, shooting high into the air, like a rocket, then twisting down, flames wrapping around it, as it came straight down to earth, slamming hard into The Creator, blowing it in pieces, Yuu crying out from the backlash of Meteor Black Dragon's attack, losing 1900 Life Points, but then he made his move. "Trap Card, activate!! Rope of Life!"

In a flash, Rope of Life's card flipped face-up, beginning to shine. "Now I can discard my hand to the Graveyard, and Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard just destroyed in battle, with 800+ ATK as a bonus!" Yuu took his 3 remaining cards, sliding them into his Graveyard slot. "Now, it's time for the Creator to come back!"

In a flash, The Creator reformed onto the Field, its' ATK now increased from 2300 to 3100 points as he had placed The Creator in Defense Mode. "Crap! I thought I had it! Now I'll set a card and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw!" Yuu drew his next card, then his Graveyard slot flashed once more. "Now I'll add Sinister Serpent back to my hand, thanks to my discarding him to The Creator's effect." Yuu now had two cards in his hand; Power Stone, and Sinister Serpent. He began to then make his move. "Now I play The Creator's effect, and I will select Hyozanryu, to Special Summon it back to my side of the Field!" Yuu took Sinister Serpent again, discarding it and then in a flash, Hyozanryu reappeared on the Field, roaring loudly.

"Now I will play my set card, Revival of the Diamond Blade, aka Adamantin Sword Revival! This Quickplay Magic Card can only be activated when I Special Summon a Dragon-Type Monster this turn. Now I can Sacrifice that Special Summoned Dragon-Type Monster, and Special Summon Diamond Head Dragon in Attack Mode. So I Sacrifice Hyozanryu in order to Special Summon Diamond Head Dragon!"

REVIVAL OF THE DIAMOND BLADE (English Name: Adamantin Sword Revival)  
Quickplay Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated if you Special Summon a Dragon-Type Monster during this turn. Sacrifice that Special Summoned Dragon-Type Monster and then Special Summon 1 "Diamond Head Dragon" from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard.

Hyozanryu disappeared in a bright glow of light, and in its' place stood a light, lime green-skinned dragonwith yellow eyes and yellow hair on its' jaw, as well as light blue diamond as a horn on its' head and two on the sides of its' head, and shards of light blue diamond on the sides of its' legs, down the back of its' neck, along the top most part of its' wings, and as its' whole tail, letting out a mighty roar.

DIAMOND HEAD DRAGON Light/Dragon/8/? ATK/2800 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Revival of the Diamond Blade". The original ATK of this card is equal to the ATK of the Dragon-Type Monster Sacrificed to the effect of "Revival of the Diamond Blade" plus 1000 points.

"Diamond Head Dragon's original ATK is equal to the ATK of the Dragon-Type Monster I sacrifice to Revival of the Diamond Blade, which was 2100 for Hyozanryu, and then, you add 1000 for 3100 total. But that's not all I'm gonna do. I now play the Equip Magic Card, Power Stone, and equip it to Crystal Equip Magic Card can only be equipped to Crystal Dragon and raises its' ATK by 1000 points, making Crystal Dragon now 4200 ATK."

POWER STONE Equip Magic Card Effect: This card can only be equipped to "Crystal Dragon". Increase the ATK of the Equipped Monster by 1000 points. When the Equipped Monster is destroyed as a result of battle, draw 1 card from your Deck.

'Oh, crap!! My Trap Card is Energy Drain! And now that Mr. M has NO cards in his hand, I can't even increase Meteor Black Dragon's attack!' Joey thought to himself.

"First up! Crystal Dragon, I hate to do this... but attack Meteor Black Dragon!" Crystal Dragon nodded, flying forward, roaring as it flew forward at Meteor Black Dragon, both opening their mouths to attack, creating two blazes of fire, then slamming into one another, exploding as they impacted with each other.

"Now Power Stone's second effect activates! I can now draw 1 card from my Deck when a Monster equipped with Power Stone is destroyed as a result of battle!" Yuu then drew one card and got Mystical Space Typhoon. He held up his Magic Card and said "Now I activate the Quickplay Magic Card, Mystical Space Typhoon, which I'll use to destroy your set card, just in case!"

In a spiral of wind, Joey's Energy Drain exploded, as Yuu then smiled and said "Diamond Head Dragon! Attack his Life Points directly!!" Diamond Head Dragon roared, its' main horn glowing brightly, and then... a burst of light surrounded Joey, dropping his Life Points to 0, ending the Duel.

Joey panted, dropping on one knee, his bangs over his eyes, and then, Yuu walked over to him, offering his hand to him, a smile of kindness on his face. "Need a hand up?"

'Ye-yeah." Joey added, taking Yuu's hand and slowly standing up. "Ya know, it's funny. I lost, but I'm not bugged at all.. I thought I'd be bugged, but I'm not."

"It's because you took my words to heart, didn't you, Joey? About how if both Duelists give their all that they're both winners? How there doesn't need to be just one winner and the other a loser? I can tell just by how you're feeling that you did." Yuu smiled, his hands now in his pockets. "That's how I always feel whenever I Duel. I don't worry about the fact someone has to win and the other has to lose. Even if a Duel should normally have a winner and a loser, in a way, it doesn't need to unless that person believes it. But I never have. Just keep to heart my words of advice, alright?"

Joey smiled and nodded. "You got it."

"Alright!" Yuu smiled then turned to the others. "Who's up next?"

"I think it's myself and Mai, Mr. Mutoh." T a smiled, standing up, pulling her Deck out as well as sliding her Duel Disk on carefully. Mai nodded, standing up as well, grabbing her Duel Disk, as Yuu walked back over, Joey right behind, as Yuu sat down next to Sukiko, smiling. She smiled back and said "You did well, dearest."

"Thanks, honey." Yuu smiled still, sliding his arm around her shoulder.

Joey looked at Mai and said "Hey. Knock 'em dead."

Mai winked and smiled. "Of course I will! I didn't work this hard to just to go back a few paces!" She then walked across from T a, both taking their Decks, placing them into their Duel Disks' Deck holders, both drawing their first five cards, both calling out "Duel!" as the practice battles for the Cecilia Cup, which laid four months away, continued...

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	46. Chapter 46

Episode 46 - Awakening of the Cyber Angel and the Princess!

Mai and T a both had five cards in their hand as Mai said "The first turn is mine. Here goes! Draw!" Drawing her sixth card, Mai examined her hand, seeing what she should do first. She then smiled and said "I got it! I play Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Cyber Harpie Lady cried out, slashing the air with her two claws, landing in front of Mai. "Turn end!"

Mai smiled, beginning to think. 'Last time, I just let you win, T a. I don't know if you knew that when I could have used Harpie's Feather Duster to end it all, but saw your drive to help Yugi, but this time, you're getting my all. And I doubt you'd have many Monsters that can take me now, even if you might have improved.'

"My turn. Draw!" T a smiled, drawing her next card. She then played her Monster of choice, a smile on her face. "I play Gemini Elf in Attack Mode!" The two sisters appeared right by one another, landing down in front of T a. "Now it's time I add a little more oomph to their game. I play the Permanent Magic Card, Spotlight!"

SPOTLIGHT Permanent Magic Card Effect: Select 1 face-up Monster on your side of the Field during your Main Phase. Increase the ATK of the selected Monster by 300 points as long as this card remains face-up on the Field.

All of a sudden, a spotlight appeared above the two sisters, who looked up in awe, both of them clasping their hands between one another's, as Cyber Harpie Lady looked confused.

"Spotlight? What the heck does Spotlight do?" Duke asked.

"It's a Permanent Magic Card which increases the ATK of one face-up Monster on its' controller's side of the Field by 300 points. Pretty handy in the right situation." Yugi smiled. "I'm surprised T a put it into her Deck, but then again, the spotlight's gonna be on her if she makes it to New York City if she pursues her dream of being a dancer."

"Man, Yugi, you sure love suckin' up to your girlfriend, don'tcha?" Taro snickered.  
"Shut up!" Yugi cried out, his cheeks a furious shade of red now.

T a smiled. "And as Yugi said, Spotlight increases the ATK of a Monster on my side of the Field by 300 points. Now that makes Gemini Elf 2200 ATK altogether. More than enough to do some serious damage to your Life Points. Gemini Elf! Attack Cyber Harpie Lady!"

The two sisters let go of one another's hands, both leaping from two seperate sides, as the brunette punched Cyber Harpie Lady in the stomach, and the blonde elbowed her in the back, thus destroying her, dropping Mai's Life Points from 4000 to 3600, both elves leaping back to T a's side of the Field, smiling as they did.

"Next, I'll set a card face-down." T a added, a flashing card appearing behind Gemini Elf. "Turn end."  
"My turn. Draw!" Mai drew her next card, smiling. She had just drawn one of her newest cards, Ritual of the Machine Angel. And she also had one of her Cyber Angel Ritual Monsters, Cyber Angel Benten in her hand, as well as Ritual Weapon. But first...

"I play the Magic Card, Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my Deck." Mai drew two cards, seeing if she had drawn anything that would have helped. She smiled, getting Roc from the Valley of Haze and Birdface. She next took Ritual of the Machine Angel from her hand and showed it to T a.

RITUAL OF THE MACHINE ANGEL Ritual Magic Card Effect: This card is used to Ritual Summon a Monster that includes "Cyber Angel" in its' card name. You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Levels equal the Monster that includes "Cyber Angel" in its' card name you are Ritual Summoning from your hand or the Field

"Next, I activate the Ritual Magic Card, Ritual of the Machine Angel!" Mai smiled, as her Ritual Magic Card flashed brightly. "This Ritual Magic Card is used to Ritual Summon a Cyber Angel Ritual Monster, T a, but like with all Rituals, I must make Sacrifices equal to the Level of the Ritual Monster. The Cyber Angel I am calling forth now is Level 6, so I'll sacrifice Roc from the Valley of Haze, exactly Level 6, from my hand to the Graveyard and Ritual Summon Cyber Angel Benten in Attack Mode!"

Appearing in the shadow of darkness was a female figure, which then was colored in, to have long black hair with a purple orb tying it into a small ponytail towards the back. The woman also had a golden Japanese priestess crown, black irises with green retinas, and had on a black and white jumpsuit, with a red kimono obi around her waist, under her chest, as well as a light purple halved tutu, like the one Etoile Cyber, Blade Skater, and Cyber Blader had. The white part of her jumpsuit covered her toes, as well as a red sash coming from near the kimono obi, as well as red wrist guards, with black near the end, and in her hands were two paper fans, with red for the paper, and a chain connecting them as she slashed the air with her fans, then closed them, a smile crossing her red painted lips.

CYBER ANGEL -BENTEN-  
Light/Fairy-Ritual/6/1800 ATK/1500 DEF Effect: This card can only be Ritual Summoned by the Ritual Magic Card, "Ritual of the Machine Angel". You must also Sacrifice Monsters whose total Levels equal 6 or more from your hand or the Field. When this card destroys a Monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of battle, inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the DEF of the destroyed Monster.

"And since I sent Roc from the Valley of Haze from my hand to the Graveyard, and resolved the Ritual Summon of Benten, now Roc goes back to my Deck, and I shuffle it. Excuse me while I do that." Pulling her Deck out, Mai shuffled it, then placed it back into her Deck Holder. "Handy thing about Roc from the Valley of Haze. His effect can be so handy in so many ways. A free shuffle, so I never know what I got, and I can discard him directly from my hand without worries whatsoever..."

"I didn't know Mai ran Ritual Monsters now! I never even pegged her to be that kind of Duelist..." Joey blinked.

"You'd be surprised really, Joey." Yuu smiled. "All kinds of Duelists will use all kinds of cards in many intriguing ways, and that's how the game keeps evolving as it has been."

Sukiko smiled and clasped her hands together. "Wow. Benten looks elegant. In fact, here is a fun little fact for you all. Benten's name comes from one of the seven deities of our culture. She's the goddess of art and wisdom. I do wish to know, Yuu darling, what kind of an effect does Benten have as a Duel Monster?"

"Her effect is like this, dearest. When she destroys a Monster in battle, and sends it to the Graveyard, she'll inflict damage to the Monster's owner's Life Points equal to the DEF of the destroyed Monster. Her effect can be devastating if the DEF of the destroyed Monster is high. But in the case of Gemini Elf, it's only 900. However, with Benten's ATK as it stands at 1800, she won't be enough for beating Gemini Elf."

"Next, I will equip Benten with the Equip Magic Card, Ritual Weapon. Ritual Weapon can only be equipped to a Ritual Monster with a Level of 1 to 6. And then its' ATK and DEF are increased by 1500 points. So, when this is Equipped to Benten, her ATK will be 3300, and her DEF will be 3000."

T a gulped, while Cyber Angel Benten's body began to glow, her ATK and DEF now at 3300/3000, more than enough of a match for Gemini Elf, even with Spotlight making them 2200 ATK. "Cyber Angel Benten! Attack Gemini Elf!" Benten sprinted, pulling her fans back, along their sides, then slapped Gemini Elf with them, blowing the twins away, T a's Life Points dropping by 1100 points from 4000 to 2900, but then, an additional 900 was taken from her, a surprised look on her face. "How come my Life Points went down further?"

"Cyber Angel Benten's effect. Her effect is when she destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, that Monster's DEF is dealt as damage to your Life Points. So that's why you lost half of your Life Points that turn." Mai smiled. "Now I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn. Draw." T a drew her next card, looking at her hand, seeing if there was anything she could do. She smiled and took her card, showing it to Mai. "Now I activate the Quickplay Magic Card, Offerings to the Doomed! It allows me to destroy a face-up Monster on the Field, and I'm choosing Cyber Angel Benten, the only Monster on the Field!"

OFFERINGS TO THE DOOMED Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Destroy 1 face-up Monster on the Field. Skip your next Draw Phase.

Wrapping wrapped around Benten, then crushed Benten, destroying her. Mai looked in surprise, as T a showed her Monster of choice to Mai. "Now I summon White Magician Pikeru in Attack Mode."

A little girl appeared then in front of T a, holding a curled staff with an orb at the top. The little girl had had pink hair with two curly pigtails sticking out of the sides of her orange Sheep Token wooled cap, as well as having a similar colored cape. The rest of Pikeru's attire was a white dress with pink markings along it, over most of her body, with white boots tied up as she smiled.

WHITE MAGICIAN PIKERU Light/Spellcaster/2/1200 ATK/0 DEF Effect: During each of your Standby Phases, increase your Life Points by 400 points for each Monster on your side of the Field.

"Super cute!!!!" Solomon, Joey, Lee, Taro, and Duke all said with wide eyes, much like that in an anime, all five looking giggly as Yugi and Tristan blinked in surprise, while Yugi's father just chuckled softly a smile on his face.

"But before I attack, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying your set card!" A blast of wind spiralled, blowing up Mai's Mirror Wall. T a smiled then pointed to Pikeru. "Now I activate Spotlight's effect, increasing Pikeru's ATK by 300 points, making her 1500 ATK now. Pikeru! Direct attack!"

Pikeru nodded, leaping up and a flash of bright light shot out of the orb on the end of her staff, hitting Mai who cried out, her Life Points now at 2100 (3600 - 1500 = 2100), gritting her teeth. "Now I'll set another card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Mai drew her next card, taking Birdface, which she drew earlier and playing it. "I summon Birdface in Attack Mode!"

Feathers spun all over the field, with a bird-like creature appearing on the Field. Birdface's head feathers were all yellow, with its' beak being black, and a horn appearing on its' forehead. It also had metal along its' shoulders, across part of its' wings, where an arm-like claw on each side appeared. Birdface also had blue chest armor, with three circuluar vents on the chest and finally, a leg band on the left leg and golden armor around its' ankles, with talons primed for gripping.

BIRDFACE Wind/Winged Beast/4/1600 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: When this card is sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle, you can add 1 "Harpie Lady" from your Deck to your hand. Then shuffle your Deck.

"A nice Monster, Mai, but not going to be enough. Now I play my set Trap Card! Spirit Barrier!" A light orange orb of light wrapped around Pikeru as T a smiled. "Now, as long as a Monster or Monsters remain on my side of the Field, Battle Damage inflicted to my Life Points will be zero."

"Damn." Mai said to herself, looking at her hand. 'No Harpie's Feather Duster, and no Mystical Space Typhoon! For now, she's got me.' "Turn end."

"My turn!" T a smiled, as her Life Points went up from 2000 to 2400 points. "Now, for each of my Standby Phases Pikeru is on the Field, I can gain 400 Life Points. Too bad I have to skip my Draw Phase thanks to Offerings to the Doomed, but it's a small price. Now I activate my second set card. Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, T a looked over her hand of four cards, and smiled as she had gotten Pikeru's support card, Ordeal of Princess.

TRIAL OF THE PRINCESSES Equip Magic Card Effect: You can only equip this card to "White Magician Pikeru" or "Ebon Magician Curran". Increase the ATK of the equipped monster by 800 points. During a turn that the equipped monster destroyed a Level 5 or higher monster as a result of battle, by Tributing the equipped monster and this card, Special Summon from your hand or Deck: 1 "Princess Pikeru" if you Tributed "White Magician Pikeru", or 1 "Princess Curran" if you Tributed "Ebon Magician Curran".

However, she didn't know if Mai had a higher level Monster in her hand, or even Harpie's Feather Duster in her hand to clear her Field of Magic and Trap Cards, so for now, she played it safe. She took her other drawn card with Pot of Greed, Draining Shield, and set it face-down. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Mai drew her next card, and then smiled. "Now I Sacrifice Birdface and I summon Roc from the Valley of Haze in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Birdface was gone, Roc from the Valley of Haze letting out a mighty caw, flapping its' wings. "I'll end my turn as long as Spirit Barrier is on the Field."

"My turn. Draw!" T a drew her next card, and then smiled. "Now I gain another 400 Life Points thanks to Pikeru's effect, putting me at 2800 LP total. Next, I play the Equip Magic Cards, Trial of the Princesses and Book of Secret Arts. The first one, Trial of the Princesses can be equipped to Pikeru or her rival, Ebon Magician Curran. And it makes her ATK 800 points stronger, while Book of Secret Arts can be equipped to a Spellcaster-Type Monster, which Pikeru is. That'll increase her ATK by another 300 and then her DEF by 300. So that's 1100 ATK, 300 DEF, and at her current stats of 1500/0, that'll make her 2600/300! Pikeru! Attack Roc from the Valley of Haze!"

Pikeru channeled energy into her staff, then fired it, blowing Roc from the Valley of Haze up, dropping Mai's Life Points from 2100 to 1900. "Now I'll explain Ordeal of Princess's next effect. I can now Sacrifice Pikeru to help her become a princess... Princess Pikeru to be exact... since she destroyed a Level 5 or higher Monster with Roc from the Valley of Haze. Here goes!" In a swirl of light, Pikeru gasped, her clothing changing into more of a princess's attire, her white dress becoming more like one a princess had, as well as her receiving light pink shoulder armor, her lips painted red, and her hat changed, with a tiara on it, as well as her staff becoming more regal, while she looked at herself in awe.

PRINCESS PIKERU Light/Spellcaster/4/2000 ATK/0 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Trial of the Princesses". During each of your Standby Phases, increase your Life Points by 800 points for each Monster on your side of the Field.

"And Spotlight's effect will now increase the ATK of Princess Pikeru, raising her ATK to 2300 points! Now I'll end my turn with this only card in my hand." T a smiled, proud of herself for holding out as well as she had against Mai, given the fact Mai was more experienced than she was.

"My turn, draw!" Mai once more had five cards in her hand. She looked at her choices and nodded. "Now it's time to give my Harpies their best battleground, T a! Get ready, 'cause here I come! Field Magic Card! Harpies' Hunting Ground!" Suddenly, the ground changed, to be somewhat barren, with clawmarks all along the ground, then canyons appeared around Mai and T a.

HARPIES' HUNTING GROUND Field Magic Card Effect: When "Harpie Lady" or "Harpie Lady Sisters" is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned to the Field, destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the FIeld. Increase the ATK and DEF of all face-up Winged Beast-Type Monsters on the Field by 200 points.

"Harpies' Hunting Ground is sure not the Seal of Orichalcos, but it is more fitting for the new me. First off, it increases the ATK and DEF of all face-up Winged Beast-Type Monsters by 200 points. And also, when Harpie Lady or the Harpie Lady Sisters are Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field. So I play my next Cyber Harpie Lady in Attack Mode!"

In a flash, another Cyber Harpie Lady appeared, winking playfully. "And now, I'll destroy that pesky Spirit Barrier!" Suddenly, Cyber Harpie Lady's body began to glow, and then in a explosion, Spirit Barrier was gone, as T a blinked. "Uh-oh!"

"Uh-oh is right. Now I play my set Magic Card, Elegant Egotist! As you know with Elegant Egotist's effect, when there is a Harpie Lady on the Field, I can Special Summon Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters from my hand or Deck. And I just happen to have one of two Harpie Lady Sisters in my Deck, so I'm gonna Special Summon them to the Field!" Suddenly, a kaledioscope image appeated behind Cyber Harpie Lady, and leaping to the left of her were the Harpie Lady Sisters, the trio poised and ready to battle.

"Now I activate the effect of Harpies' Hunting Ground since I've Special Summoned Harpie Lady Sisters! I'll destroy your set card, since no matter what, Spotlight won't help you that much anyhow, but that set card, I am more iffy about... so let's say bye bye to that!" Mai then smiled, letting out a mock wave as T a cried out, Draining Shield exploding now.

"Whoa!" Joey blinked. "Uhm, I wonder if Mai had this when we Dueled in Doma, would she have beaten me before I passed out?"  
"Knowing you, Joey, you mighta gotten lucky." Tristan snickered.

"Hey!" Joey retorted at Tristan's ribbing. Lee and Vivian looked on, while Vivian smiled. "Mai has T a where she wants her... almost. She'll just need to power up Cyber Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters so she can nail T a's Life Points. And if I know her from when the two of us Dueled vs. Para and Dox on the Great Wall, she'll have something ready."

"I'll take your word for it, sweetheart." Lee smiled. "And I've heard all there is about Mai may not get too much recognition, but from what I've heard and what you told me, Viv, she's gotta be one of the best female Duelists out there!"

Mai smiled at hearing what the others said, and pulled her next Magic Card from her hand, still a smile crossing her lips. "Now I play the Magic Card, Triangle Ecstasy Spark! This Magic Card brings the ATK of Harpie Lady Sisters on my side of the Field to 2700, and makes the effects of Trap Cards null and void, as well as preventing you from activating Trap Cards during the turn of its' activation. Now, it's time to do some serious damage! Harpie Lady Sisters! Attack Princess Pikeru!"

All three Harpie Ladies formed a triangle-like formation, electricity sparking between them, in the giant shape of an X. "Triangle Ecstasy Spark!" The shot of the X slashed right through White Princess Pikeru, destroying her and leaving T a's Life Points dropped by 400 points from 2800 to 2400. "Cyber Harpie Lady! Attack her Life Points directly! Scratch Clash!"

Cyber Harpie Lady flew forward, pulling her arm back and slashing across T a, who cried out, her Life Points rolling down by 2000 to 400 points. She groaned a little bit, wobbling. "Well, this seems to be as far as you've gone, T a. So close, but so far. Now I'll end my turn."

Yugi looked on and began to think about what Mai said. 'You're wrong, Mai. T a doesn't know, but last time, you let her win. This time is different. She can win, and I know that as you are now, you won't worry if you've lost... and she won't either.'

"My turn. Draw!" T a drew her next card, looking to see what it was, and was in surprise to see she had drawn Coins from Heaven, also known as Card of Sanctity! This was just what she needed. "I play the Magic Card, Coins from Heaven! Now we both draw til we have six cards in our hand!"

Mai nodded, as she drew three, and T a drew five. Looking at her hand, T a smiled and took a Magic Card from her hand. "It's time for an appropriate diva to hit the stage, Mai! I play the Magic Card, Polymerization, and send Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater from my hand to the Graveyard and Fusion Summon Cyber Blader in Attack Mode!"

In a whirl of wind, Cyber Blader appeared, twisting still, in an axle spin, until she kicked the air and landed in front of T a.

"Now, her second effect is triggered! Since you have two Monsters on the Field, that means Cyber Blader's ATK is doubled from 2100 to 4200!" T a looked at Mai as Cyber Blader's body began to glow, her ATK raising from 2100 to 4200, just like she said.

"Next, I select her to receive Spotlight's effect, bringing her ATK up by 300 points to a whopping 4500 points!" The spotlight appeared around Cyber Blader, who looked around, but smiled. "4500 ATK?! Uh-oh. This isn't good at all! This time for sure..." Mai blinked in surprise.

"Now it's time to end this! Cyber Blader! Attack Cyber Harpie Lady!" Cyber Blader slid on her iceskate-like blades, twisting around and bringing her left leg into a kick right along Cyber Harpie Lady's jaw, destroying her, and decreasing Mai's Life Points by 2500. But Mai's Life Points currently at 1900 points, so that meant defeat, but she just smiled as her Life Points rolled to 0.

"I... I actually won?" T a spoke, a sense of disbelief in her voice at first. "I can't believe I actually won!"

Mai smiled. "And on your own merit, T a." Walking up, Mai looked at T a, smiling still. "Last time, when we Dueled, when you wanted to get Yugi's Star Chips I owed him in a Duel... I allowed you to win, because I saw the determination you had to help Yugi, even if you were scared."

"I know. Yugi... he told me about you having Harpie's Feather Duster, but not choosing to activate it. But Mai, one other reason I did that was because of how harsh you were, even if to help Yugi, since you didn't know the whole story..." T a replied.

"Hmm? Whole story?" Mai didn't understand, as was shown in her voice.

"Well..." T a then began to explain the entire situation; about how Kaiba was going to kill himself if Yugi defeated him, how Atem went through with the attack, how she tried to stop him, and Yugi eventually did, but it left him scared of Duel Monsters and virtually motionless and silent for what seemed like hours, just caught in a daze.

"So that's why Yugi was-!"  
"Yes. Now you know just as well as I do. That is why I blamed myself for what happened to Yugi, because I tried to stop him from doing it... even if we learned later Kaiba did it because he was fighting to save his brother." T a said. "So that's all I have to say now."

Mai smiled and closed her eyes. "OK, we better clear out then... some of the others want to step up, and we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer. We've been yanking a little too much." Then, with a turn of her heel, Mai headed over to the others, T a right behind.

Yugi looked about thinking of who had gone so far; Tristan and Taro... his dad and Joey... and now T a and Mai. That just left himself and Lee, and Vivian and Melody. Yugi then exhaled, smiled and turned to Vivian. "Hey, Vivian, you and Melody go next OK? I don't mind going last. I'm pretty much ready, but I'd be glad to help Lee with his practicing for the Cecilia Cup... if he doesn't mind waiting that is."

Lee smiled then turned to Vivian. "Go ahead, Viv. Besides, if Yugi and I go last, that means we can put on an even better Duel. And they do say ladies first."

"Great! Mel, let's go! I wanna see what kind of Deck you have!" Vivian giggled, grabbing her Duel Disk, heading in front of the others a bit, Melody blinking, and getting her Duel Disk but before she went up, she turned and kissed Taro on the lips lightly, smiled, feeling more relaxed, as she headed to join Vivian, set to do her best.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	47. Chapter 47

Episode 47 - Mokey Mokey's Cry, Dragon Lady's Roar

"Here we go." Vivian smiled, her Duel Disk locking into the ready position, Melody's doing the same, both drawing their five cards. "Duel!"

"I'll start. Draw!" Vivian smiled, drawing her sixth card. She then took her middle card and slapped it onto her Monster Card Zone. "I'll start things with Frenzied Panda in Attack Mode!"

FRENZIED PANDA Earth/Beast/4/1200 ATK/1000 DEF

With a roar, a large panda, snarling with a branch of bamboo in its' paws. "Turn end!"  
"My turn, draw." Melody drew her next card, looking at her hand of cards, trying to think of what to do. She smiled, taking a card from her hand. "I play Charcoal Inpachi in Defense Mode! And I'll set one card face-down." Melody smiled, as Charcoal Inpachi sat down, arms near its' legs, a Magic/Trap Card flashing behind it.

"My turn. Draw!" Vivian smiled. "Now I play a new Magic Card! Sprawling Pandas, activate!"

SPRAWLING PANDAS Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated if you have a Monster that includes "Panda" in its' card name. Discard a card from your hand and Special Summon 3 "Panda Tokens" (Beast-Type/EARTH/3 Stars/ATK 1000/DEF 1000) on your opponent's side of the Field in Defense Mode. Whenever a "Panda Token" is destroyed in battle, increase your Life Points by 400 points.

Taking a copy of Divine Dragon Excelion, Vivian discarded it to the Graveyard, and then, three cute pandas with bamboo leaves sticking out of the sides of their mouths appeared onto Melody's side of the Field, kneeling down on the sides of Charcoal Inpachi.  
"Now it's time for me to play another Monster. I play Gyaku-Gire Panda in Attack Mode!"

GYAKU-GIRE PANDA Earth/Beast/3/800 ATK/1600 DEF Effect: Increase the ATK of this card by 500 points for every Monster on your opponent's side of the Field. When this card attacks with an ATK that is higher than the DEF of your opponent's Defense Mode Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.

Another panda appeared onto Vivian's side of the Field which roared, having a branch of bamboo as well, but with leaves sticking out of it and a leaf on its' head, an angry mark on the side of its' head, and red eyes. "Thanks to Gyaku-Gire Panda's effect, its' ATK is increased by 500 points for every Monster on your side of the Field. You have four, so that's 2000 points, making its ATK a whopping 2800 for a Level 3! Now... Gyaku-Gire Panda, attack one of the Panda Tokens!" Gyaku-Gira Panda roared, then stampeded across the ground, pulling its' leg back and kicking one of the Panda tokens in the gut, destroying it, and dropping Melody's Life Points by 1800 points to 2200 in one shot!

"Huh? How come my Life Points went down?" Melody blinked. "Oh, wait. I get it. It's one of THOSE Monsters."

"Yep!" Vivian smiled. "Gyaku-Gire Panda's next effect. When it attacks with an ATK higher than the DEF of a Defense Mode Monster on your side of the Field, the damage is carried over as Battle Damage to your Life Points. In other words, you know the term. It's Piercing Battle Damage. Plus, with the destruction of a Panda Token in battle, my Life Points are increased by 400 points." Vivian smiled, as her Life Point counter rolled from 4000 to 4400 ponts.

"And now, Gyaku-Gire Panda loses 500 of its' ATK, making it now 2300 ATK instead of 2800. But to continue my move... attack, Frenzied Panda! Attack the other Panda Token!"  
Frenzied Panda leapt into the air, pulling back its' bamboo stick. But... "Trap Card, activate! Gravity Bind!"  
In a flash, a gravitational field appeared, slamming around Frenzied Panda to the ground.

"Gravity Bind!?"

"This Trap Card prevents Level 4 or higher Monsters from attacking while it's face-up on the Field."

"I know what it does!" Vivian replied. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn." Vivian now had two cards in her hand.

"My turn! Draw!" Melody smiled, drawing her next card. She looked at her cards, and began to think, then smiled. "Now I play Emissary of the Oasis in Defense Mode!" Kneeling down beside Charcoal Inpachi was a beautiful blue-skinned girl with a flowing blue and rainbow colored dress as she smiled.

EMISSARY OF THE OASIS Light/Spellcaster/3/600 ATK/400 DEF Effect: As long as a face-up Level 3 or lower Normal Monster remains on your side of the Field, your opponent cannot select this card as an attack target. As long as this card remains on your side of the Field, any Battle Damage to the controller of this card from battle involving a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster becomes 0.

"While Emissary of the Oasis is on the Field with a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster face-up on my side of the Field, she cannot be an attack target, and also, any Battle Damage I take from a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster being in battle is 0." Melody smiled. "Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw!" Vivian smiled. "Now I play my set card, Pot of Greed, so I draw two cards, and now I have 5 cards." Drawing 2 cards, Vivian gained Double Attack and another copy of Divine Dragon Excelion. She took Maji-Gire Panda, one of her other Monsters from her hand and played it on the Field. "Now I play Maji-Gire Panda in Attack Mode!"

Maji-Gire Panda roared, appearing much like Gyaku-Gire Panda, only it had long claws and a more furious look on its' face as it roared.

MAJI-GIRE PANDA Earth/Beast/4/1000 ATK/800 DEF Effect: As long as this card remains face-up on the Field, each time a Beast-Type Monster(s) on the Field is destroyed, increase the ATK of this card by 500 points.

"And since you now have 4 Monsters on the Field, that means Gyaku-Gire Panda's ATK goes up by 500 points. So that means it's now 2800 again. But... it's time I did something else! I play the Magic Card, Double Attack, and discard a Level 5 Monster from my hand!" Vivian took her next copy of Divine Dragon Excelion from her hand to the Graveyard, smiling.

"Now, I'll allow Gyaku-Gire Panda to attack twice this turn! So... Gyaku-Gire Panda! Attack the first Panda Token!" Gyaku-Gire Panda rushed forward, then kicked the Panda Token, destroying it, and increasing Vivian's Life Points by 400 points to 4800. But then, Maji-Gire Panda's body began to glow, its' ATK going up to 1500, while Gyaku-Gire Panda's ATK went down to 2300 ATK.

"Whenever a Beast-Type Monster or Monsters is destroyed while on the Field, and while Maji-Gire Panda is face-up on the Field, its' ATK goes up by 500 points. So now... Gyaku-Gire Panda, attack the final Panda Token!" Gyaku-Gire Panda twisted its' leg and then kicked the last Panda Token, destroying it, with its' ATK going down to 1800 points, and Maji-Gire Panda's ATK going up to 2000, while Vivian's Life Points went to 5000.

"Next, I play Wild Nature's Release." Vivian smiled. "This Magic Card increases the ATK of 1 Beast-Type or Beast Warrior-Type Monster on my side of the Field by the DEF of that Monster. So I select Frenzied Panda, making its' ATK now 2200! And so I'll end my turn, and with that, Frenzied Panda is destroyed , and that means Maji-Gire Panda gains 500 ATK!"

Frenzied Panda then roared, exploding, Maji-Gire Panda's ATK going up to 2500 points.

"My turn. Draw." Melody drew her next card and smiled. "Yes. First I turn Charcoal Inpachi to Attack Mode. Then I play my own Pot of Greed. Draw two!" Melody drew two more cards, and looked at her hand, thinking of what to do next. She had just drawn Heart of the Underdog and The Dark Door. Now she had a chance.

"Next, I play a Magic Card that was in my hand earlier. Triangle Power! This Magic Card increases the ATK and DEF of all Level 1 Normal Monsters by 2000 points, so that means Charcoal Inpachi becomes 2100/4100, and even if I'd only do 300 Life Points of damage to you with him against Gyaku-Gire Panda, I will! Charcoal Inpachi! Attack Gyaku-Gire Panda!" Charcoal Inpachi leapt up into the air, then came crashing right onto Gyaku-Gire Panda, destroying him and dropping Vivian's Life Points to 4700.

"You forgot about Maji-Gire Panda's effect, Melody! Now his ATK goes up by 500 points to 3000 thanks to Gyaku-Gire Panda, a Beast-Type Monster, being destroyed!" Vivian smiled.

"I know, but I will be fine. Now, I will set one card face-down, then play Heart of the Underdog, and The Dark Door!"

In a flash, Melody's two Magic Cards took the Field as she smiled. "Turn end!", and with the call of her End Phase, Charcoal Inpachi exploded, the drawback effect to Triangle Power.

Mai looked on at the Duel and said "Hey... how come Melody isn't playing any stronger Monsters?"

"That's not what her Deck is about, Mai." Taro said. "People do tend to ask this same question a lot whenever Mel-chan is in action. The thing is... she doesn't really use all that strong of Monsters in her Deck. I should know." He smiled before continuing to speak. "I helped her make it."

"So... what is the purpose of her Deck then if she doesn't have bigger Monsters?..." Mai asked, a bit of confusion in her voice.

"Simple." Yugi smiled. "It's a low level Deck. It makes use of various Magic and Trap Cards to help her summon more Monsters, as well as having Normal Monsters providing her with a small edge in that department, since Normal has quite a bit of support here and there, especially in the Level 1, 2, and 3 range which she runs in. Just watch though. She isn't down and out yet."

"My turn! Draw!" Vivian drew the next card from her Deck, now having two cards in her hand. She now had drawn her Mystical Space Typhoon, as well as still having Graceful Charity, which she hadn't used just yet. "Now I play Graceful Charity! This Magic Card lets me draw three cards from my Deck, and then discard two cards from my hand!"

Vivian now drew her three cards, looking at what to discard, as she drew Impact Blast, Sacred Crane, and Balance Symbol Ying Yang. But... this would take careful timing. She took Impact Blast and Sacred Crane discarding them to the Graveyard and then took Balance Symbol Ying Yang and played it.

"Now I play Balance Symbol Ying Yang! This Magic Card is another handy card drawing card. I draw four cards from my Deck, then I skip my next Draw Phase."

BALANCE SYMBOL - YIN-YANG Normal Magic Card Effect: Draw 4 cards from your Deck. Then skip your next Draw Phase.

Vivian drew her four cards, now having five cards in her hand. She took Mystical Space Typhoon from her hand and played it next. "Now I follow up with Mystical Space Typhoon, allowing me to destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card! That one card that's gotta go is Gravity Bind!"

A whirling cyclone appeared around Gravity Bind, destroying it. Melody smiled, then tapped another button on her Duel Disk. "Now I play the Continuous Trap Card, Solemn Wishes! Every time I draw a card or cards, I gain 500 Life Points."

SOLEMN WISHES Continuous Trap Card Effect: You gain 500 Life Points when you draw a card or cards.

"Well, it's not gonna help you that much! Maji-Gire Panda, attack Emissary of the Oasis!!" Maji-Gire Panda roared, then leapt into the air, flicking its' sarp claws and splitting Emissary of the Oasis right in half, easily destroying her. Vivian still had 4 cards in her hand and smiled. "Next, I'll set one card face-down! But before that, I Sacrifice Maji-Gire Panda and I summon Divine Dragon Excelion in Attack Mode!"

DIVINE DRAGON EXCELION Light/Dragon/5/1500 ATK/900 DEF Effect: When this card is successfully Normal Summoned, for every "Divine Dragon Excelion" in your Graveyard, this card can receive one of the following effects. This card cannot receive the same effect more than once. -Increase the ATK of this card by 1000 points. -When this card destroys a Monster as a result of battle, it can attack once more in a row. -When this Monster destroys a Monster and sends it to the Graveyard as a result of Battle, inflict damage to your opponent's Life Points equal to the ATK of the destroyed Monster.

In a flash of flames, a long white dragon with four yellow eyes, as well as blue flames down its' back and near its' legs appeared, roaring mightly.

"Now I invoke Excelion's effect! For every copy of himself in the Graveyard when he is Normal Summoned, he can gain one of three effects! First, I'll have his attack increased by 1000 points to 2500..." A blaze of flames wrapped around Excelion as his attack went up from 1500 to 2500. "Next, I'll use his second effect. When he destroys a Monster as a result of battle, he can attack once more in a row! Next, I'll set one card face-down! Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw!" Melody drew her next card, smiling as Solemn Wishes began to glow, her Life Points going up to 2700. She smiled as she also had drawn a Normal Monster. Gigobyte, which she showed to Melody. "Now I drew a Normal Monster, so I can show it to you, then draw again!"

Melody smiled, drawing another card, her Life Points going up to 3200. She smiled more, drawing Haniwa, and showing it to Vivian. "Now I can draw again thanks to me drawing Haniwa. Now I show him to you and ta-dah!"

Drawing her next card, Melody smiled, getting her Life Points to 3700, and having gotten another Normal Monster, this time getting Key Mace. She held it up and showed it to Vivian, smiling.

"Now I can draw again!" Drawing her next card, now having four cards, Melody got another Normal Monster, this time picking up Hourglass of Life, holding it up. "Now I can draw again! And thanks to Solemn Wishes, my LP has gone to 4200 points! But now it'll be 4700!"

Drawing again, Melody smiled, showing her another Normal Monster, getting Wing Egg Elf, showing it to Vivian and smiling as she now had Graceful Charity, for seven cards in hand, her Life Points now at 5200.

"That's stopped for now... now I play Graceful Charity! That lets me draw three more cards, and that's another 500 LP thanks to Solemn Wishes, which means 5700 LP for me!" Drawing three more cards, Melody smiled, and then took two of her previosuly drawn cards, discarding them to the Graveyard for Graceful Charity. "Now I've discarded two cards, but I got a hand of seven again! First up, I play my Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy Dark Door!"

With that, Dark Door exploded as Melody took another card from her hand, one of her cards drawn from Graceful Charity and played it. "Next, I'll play Enchanting Fitting Room! I can pay 800 Life Points, pick up the top four cards of my Deck, and Special Summon any Level 3 or lower Normal Monsters I happen to pick up! Here goes..."

Melody picked up the top four cards of her Deck, and let out a gleeful squeal, even if her Life Points were now at 4900 points. She turned three of her two cards over and smiled. "I got 3 Normal Monsters! Happy Lover, Mokey Mokey, and Mokey Mokey! So now I can Special Summon them! I Special Summon all three in Attack Mode!"

Happy Lover chirped happily, as the two Mokey Mokey came out, letting out a double cry of "Mokey Mokey..." simultaneously.

"Next... I play the Permanent Magic Card, Mokey Mokey Smackdown! When a Fairy-Type Monster is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, the ATK of all Mokey Mokey on the Field becomes 3000 points until the end of the turn! So first up....!! Happy Lover, attack Excelion!" Happy Lover flapped its' wings and floated in front of Excelion, a pinkish flame growing from its' mouth. "Happy Burning!!"

The pink flame shot forward, smashing Excelion, but then, the large dragon flew forward, devouring Happy Lover, dropping Melody's Life Points by 1700 points to 3200 points. She cried out from the slight shockwave, panting, but smiling. "Now I get Mokey Mokey Smackdown's effect! That'll raise my Mokey Mokeys to 3000 ATK! And that's more than enough to deal with Excelion!"

Both of Melody's Mokey Mokeys sucked in some hair, huffing, then turning red, their antenna-like halos becoming exclamation marks, their ATK raising from 300 to 3000! Melody smiled, pressing her index and middle fingers to her lips, then making a quick smooch sound.

"Mokey Mokey! Attack Excelion! Mokey Mokey Wave!" The first of Melody's Mokey Mokeys flapped its' little arms, crying out "MOKEY MOKEY!!" at the top of its' lungs, an invisible shockwave coming across the area, blowing up Excelion and decreasing Vivian's Life Points to 4200.

"Second Mokey Mokey! Attack her Life Points directly!" Melody smiled.

"Not so fast! Trap Card, activate! Giant Gong!" Vivian shouted, with a large gong appearing, and blocking Mokey Mokey's Mokey Mokey Wave. "Giant Gong can only work when you attack. I end your Battle Phase, then we both draw a card from our Decks."

"Gotcha." Melody smiled, drawing her card, as did Vivian, Melody's Life Points now at 4200 points again. Vivian saw she had drawn Draw Gong. "Anything else this turn, Melody?"

"Nope. I'll end my turn." Melody said politely.

"My turn. Draw!" Vivian drew her next card and smiled. "Now I Normal Summon Kung Fu Nyan Nyan in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Kung Fu Nyan Nyan kicked the air, smiling as she landed down in front of Vivian, taking a fighting stance. "Next up, I play the Magic Card, Summoning from the Shadows!"

SUMMONING FROM THE SHADOWS Quickplay Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when you Normal Summon or Flip Summon a Level 4 or lower Monster. Special Summon 1 other Level 4 or lower Monster from your hand or Deck to the Field. The Special Summoned Monster cannot attack during this turn.

"This little Quickplay Magic Card will allow me to Special Summon 1 other Level 4 or lower Monster from my Deck or hand to the Field when I Normal Summon or Flip Summon a Level 4 or lower Monster, but that Monster can't attack. Now I Special Summon Master Kyonshee in Attack Mode!" In a flash, from Kung Fu Nyan Nyan's shadow, Master Kyonshee landed to the side of her, taking a stance as well.

"Next up..." from Vivian's remaining hand of three cards, Vivian took Draw Gong and showed it to Melody smiling.  
"What the heck is that Magic Card? It looks like a hand in front of a gong with a few Duel Monsters cards in its' fingers? How does that work?" Melody blinked.

"This is called Draw Gong, Mel. For every Monster on the Field, I draw cards from my Deck equal to that number, so there's four; your two Mokey Mokeys and my two Monsters. But I can't enter my Battle Phase when I use Draw Gong. But it's worth it." Vivian drew four cards, raising her hand to six cards, then she grinned.

"Now I play the Magic Card, Valley of the Five Colors! I Sacrifice Master Kyonshee and Kung Fu Nyan Nyan and I Special Summon my favorite card from my Deck!" Vivian's Deck began to glow as then, Dragon Lady's card shot out of it, and she caught it, slapping it onto her Duel Disk. "Come forth, Dragon Lady! In Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, Dragon Lady landed down in front of Vivian, holding her swords in her hands as she stood elegantly. "Now, I activate Dragon Lady's effect! Once per turn, I can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field, but Dragon Lady can't attack during the turn I use it. Well, she can't attack anyway thanks to Draw Gong, so what the hell! Dragon Lady! Destroy Solemn Wishes!" Dragon Lady's swords began to glow, then she slashed the air, destroying Solemn Wishes.

"Now I chain a card with Dragon Lady's effect! The Magic Card is Impact Blast! Whenever a Magic or Trap Card is destroyed, its' controller's Life Points are dropped by 1000 points! So that means you go from 4200 to 3200!"

Melody cried out, skidding back somewhat. Vivian smiled. "Now, I'll set a card face-down. Turn end!"

"My turn. Draw!" Melody closed her eyes, then saw she had a Normal Monster! She smiled and showed her third Mokey Mokey to Vivian. "Now I draw again thanks to Heart of the Underdog!" Drawing again, Melody got seven cards, getting another Normal Monster, this time getting Mushroom Man.

She showed it to Vivian, and drew again. She stopped her drawing once she got Magic Shard Excavation. She exhaled, then took it from her hand. "I now play the Magic Card, Magic Shard Excavation! By discarding two cards from my hand to the Graveyard, I can add 1 Magic Card from my Graveyard to my hand! And I add..."

Melody slid away Mushroom Man and Mokey Mokey to the Graveyard, and got Pot of Greed, smiling as she showed it to Vivian. "Pot of Greed again! Now, I play Pot of Greed, and draw two cards from my Deck!"

Vivian looked on, wondering what Melody was up to exactly. Melody drew her two cards, and got another Enchanting Fitting Room and Law of the Normal. She smiled and said "Now I play Enchanting Fitting Room again! I drop my Life Points to 800 points and I get to pick up the top four cards and as you know earlier, Special Summon any Level 3 or lower Monsters I get. Here goes!!" Melody picked up her four top cards, getting Happy Lover, Petit Dragon, and Mushroom Man in addition to Mokey Mokey, her fourth card being Dark Factory of Mass Production.

"Now I got three! Just what I need! Petit Dragon, Mushroom Man, and Happy Lover!" Vivian looked in surprise as Melody's Monsters all Special Summoned to the Field in Attack Mode.

"OK, so what if Melody has 5 Level 3 or lower Monsters? If Vivian gets what she wants, something BAD is gonna happen to the poor kid. Taro, what were you thinking when you helped Melody make this Deck!? She is essentially screwed!" Mai said, looking at Taro.

Taro smiled, his hands behind the back of his head. "Just wait and see."

"Wait and see?" Mai blinked, turning to the Duel again, as Melody smiled. "Now I play the Magic Card, Law of the Normal! This Magic Card lets me destroy all cards on the Field and send all cards in our hands to the Graveyard that isn't a Level 3 or lower Normal Monster, but I need 5 of them on the Field. And I got them! 2 Mokey Mokeys at Level 1, Mushroom Man, Happy Lover, and Petit Dragon at Level 2."

All of Melody's Monsters began to glow, then all of the other cards on the Field exploded, as Vivian cried out, sending every other card in her hand to the Graveyard. Melody smiled and said "Now, I direct attack with all 5 of my Monsters!"

"That's 300 x 2 for 600 points, another 600 points for 1200, and 800 x 2 for 1600, and that's 2800 points." Taro smiled. "Told ya to just wait and see."

All of Melody's Monsters charged, smashing Vivian hard, dropping her Life Points by 2800 points to 1400 points. Vivan dropped to one knee, panting. Melody smiled sweetly then closed her eyes. "Turn end."

"My turn... draw!" Vivian drew her next card, then sighed, pushing herself up to her feet, placing her hand on her Deck. "I give up. I've lost anyway. What I drew next didn't help much anyhow. I guess all I am, even for my title of China's best Duelist is a loser dog."

"That's not true!" Melody said "Trust me, if you did get what you mighta needed, I woulda lost!! And I mean that a lot, Vivian... you got more experience than me... and all I wanna do now is just get to be stronger like you, Mai, and T a are... so I don't feel like I'm being left behind."

Vivian smiled. "If you Duel like you did today, that is gonna be an eventuality. Count on that! And that just leaves the star of our show, Yugi, and my honey-pie, Lee! Guys, you gonna make this more of a climatic Duel?"

"You know it!" Lee and Yugi both said at the same time, leaping up to their feet, then running forward to the Dueling area, the girls sitting back down...

Yugi and Lee stood across from each other, both having their Duel Disks on their arms, looking at one they smiled, then pulled their Decks out from their Deck Holders, then shuffled them, Yugi using the Rifle shuffle, while Lee used the Pushing method, exhaling, both placing their Decks into their Duel Disks' Deck Holders, their Duel Disks getting into the ready position. And then... it was time to get it on!

"DUEL!!"

-[To Be Continued...]- 


	48. Chapter 48

Episode 48 - Rematch! Yugi vs. Lee!

Lee and Yugi both drew their first five cards, as Lee smiled. "I'll go first! Draw!" Lee drew his sixth card, looking over his hand as he smiled. "Now I play the Warrior-Type Monster, Panther Fist, in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a black furred panther anthromorph appeared onto the Field, in dark blue mandarin pants and a white chang bao, roaring as he slashed the air with his claws, his tail cracking beind him.

PANTHER FIST Earth/Warrior/4/2100 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: You cannot attack with this card without Sacrificing 1 other Monster on your side of the Field.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Joey waved his hands. "How is that a Warrior-Type Monster?"  
"Well, Panther is a type of Martial Art. It is also known as Leopard." Duke smiled. "I'm surprised too... then again, Tristan's Elemental Heroes look like they could be different Types due to their outward appearance, so looks are deceiving in this game."  
Joey scratched his head. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Panther Fist can't attack unless I sacrifice another Monster while he's in play, and since I have none, he will have to wait to attack for now. In the meantime, I'll set one card face-down. My turn is now done." Lee bowed to Yugi and smiled. "So come on then, Yugi! Let's see what you can do!"

"You got it! My turn! Draw!" Yugi swiftly drew his sixth card and smiled. "I'll set one Monster face-down, and end my turn!"  
"That's all Yugi's got? Man, I hope whatever he set is a good wall..." Tristan said. "I mean, 2100 ATK for a Level 4 is no joke."  
Yuu just smiled. "He's fine."

"My turn. Draw!" Lee drew his next card, as he showed it to Yugi. "I play Dragon Fist in Attack Mode!" In a flash, another of Lee's Fist Monsters appeared, Dragon Fist kicking the air, then taking the stance of the Dragon style of Kung Fu. "Dragon Fist, attack Yugi's Monster first! Dragon Claw!" Dragon Fist leapt into the air, and came down at Yugi's Monster, splitting it in half, revealing Penguin Soldier.

"Penguin Soldier?" Lee gasped.  
"Yep! And since he's been flipped up, I can return two Monsters on the Field to their owner's hand! And I send Panther Fist and Dragon Fist to your hand!" Yugi smiled. In a flash of light, Dragon Fist and Panther Fist returned to Lee's hand as he blinked. "Oh, boy... and I Normal Summoned this turn! I, I end my turn!"

"My turn, draw!" Yugi drew his next card, getting Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. "Nice! I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian twisted in the air, slashing it with his sword. "Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, attack Lee's Life Points directly! Silver Sword!"

Charging forward, Yugi's elven swordsman gripped the handles of his sword, crying out. Lee smiled and said "PSYCHE!! Trap Card, activate! Act of Self-Defense!" In a flash, Lee's set card flipped up, its' art showing a martial artist blocking a kick of an opponent, then kicking at his assailant's knee.

ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE Normal Trap Card Effect: This card can only be activated when your opponent attacks. Special Summon 1 Monster from your hand that includes "Fist" in its' card name, and is the same Level as your opponent's attacking Monster. If the Special Summoned Monster remains on the Field at the end of the Battle Phase, return the Special Summoned Monster to your hand.

"What the-!?" Yugi cried out in surprise.  
"Act of Self-Defense is a Trap Card which can only be activated when you've declared an attack. Now I can Special Summon a Monster with Fist in its' card name that's the same Level as your attacking Monster. So here comes Panther Fist back to the Field!" Lee smiled, slapping Panther Fist's card back onto his Duel Disk.

Panther Fist roared, as Obnoxious Celtic Guardian's sword came down at him, and he caught it in both of his hands, pushed it away, then slashed at Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, damaging Yugi's Life Points by 700 points, putting him at 3300 points. Yugi cried out then exhaled.

"At least Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed as a result of battle with Monsters that have 1900 ATK or more, and I'd say Panther Fist fits the description pretty darn well. All that was was a small sting... least for the moment" Chuckled Yugi, rubbing the back of his head, his tongue sticking out.

"Yeah, I know. OK, since your Battle Phase is done, I assume, I now can add Panther Fist back to my hand since he's still on the Field... so, c'mon back!" Panther Fist disappeared in a shower of light, coming back to Lee's hand.

"I'll next set a card face-down, and end my turn." Yugi replied, sliding a Duel Monsters card behind Obnoxious Celtic Guardian.  
"My turn. Draw!" Lee drew his next card, his hand at seven cards. Lee then showed his drawn card to Yugi, smiling. "Now I play Graceful Charity!" Drawing three cards from his Deck, Lee looked at his hand, then discarded Panther Fist, and Dragon Fist to his Graveyard.

"Now, I play Monk Fighter in Attack Mode!" In a flash, a young fighter with silver hair, dark brown arm bracelets with an orange and yellow dogi of sorts as he cried out, taking a fighting stance.

MONK FIGHTER Earth/Rock/3/1300 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: All Batlte Damage to this card's controller taken from a battle involving this Monster becomes 0.

"An ATK of 1300?" Tristan blinked.

"Yeah, but Monk Fighter has a nice effect I heard. Can't take Battle Damage from it being involved in battle." Joey said, sounding very sagely.

Everyone looked at him in surprise, as Joey blinked, a sweatdrop forming on the back of his head. "Uh... guys... why're you lookin' at me like that? Do I got a booger stickin' outta my nose?"

"No, just that usually, you don't know that much for some Monsters' effects..." Tristan blinked. "So it came as quite a shock to all of us when you actually knew that."

"Oh... I see..." Joey blinked, the sweatdrop still on the back of his head.

"Anyway!" Lee said, clearing his throat. "Now I Sacrifice Monk Fighter to make a Special Summon!" In a flash, a swirl of light wrapped around Monk Fighter. "I Special Summon Master Monk in Attack Mode!!" Lee cried out, as there, in place of Monk Fighter, was an older looking version of him, with longer hair, and a long beard, with his clothes tattered, and a slight glow around his body.

MASTER MONK Earth/Rock/5/1900 ATK/1000 DEF Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by sacrificing a face-up "Monk Fighter'' on your side of the Field. This card can attack twice during the same Battle Phase.

"Master Monk can attack twice during the same Battle Phase, Yugi, but I know it won't take out Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, so I'll go for it anyhow, to deal some damage! Master Monk! Attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Master Monk clenched his fists and cried out, leaping at Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, ready to attack when Yugi cried out "Trap Card, activate! Windstorm of Etaqua!!"

A cyclone of wind spiralled across the Field, changing Master Monk into Defense Mode. Lee looked on and looked in surprise. "Well, this was something I didn't plan for. I'll set one card face-down, and that's the end of my turn." Lee smiled, having four cards left in his hand now.

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, looking at his hand and smiled. "Now I Sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and I summon Chaos Command Magician in Attack Mode!" In a flash of light, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian disappeared in a flash of light, and in his place stood the green armored clad Chaos Command Magician, who tilted his staff in his hand and then grunted.

Chaos Command Magician ATK - 2400

"Chaos Command Magician! Attack Master Monk!" Yugi said. Chaos Command Magician's staff began to glow brightly as he aimed it right at Master Monk. Lee saw his chance and smiled. "Now I play my own mode changing card! Discipline of Training!"

DISCIPLINE OF TRAINING Normal Trap Card Effect: Change the Battle Positions of all Monsters except Monsters that include "Fist" in their card name, or that are named "Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter", "Monk Fighter" or "Master Monk" on the Field.

"Discipline of Training?" Yugi said, confused.

"When this card is activated, it changes the Battle Positions of all Monsters that don't have Fist in their card name, or are Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter, Monk Fighter, or Master Monk. SO that means that Chaos Command Magician goes to Defense Mode now." In a flash, Chaos Command Magician cried out, kneeling down in front of Yugi, his arms crossed over his chest.

Chaos Command Magician DEF - 1900

"Oh, crud!" Yugi said, scratching his head. "Man, this is just crazy! It's like the battle of the Battle Position changers! OK, I'll then set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My turn! Draw!" Lee drew his next card, looking to see what he had drawn. He smiled and showed it to Yugi. "I play the Magic Card, Reverse Rebirth! This lets me Special Summon 1 Monster from your Graveyard to the field, and then we both draw a card. And I choose... Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!"

REVERSE REBIRTH Normal Magic Card Effect: Special Summon 1 Monster from your opponent's Graveyard to his/her side of the Field. Then, both players draw 1 card each from their Decks.

In a flash, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian came back to the Field, kneeling down in front of Yugi, beside Chaos Command Magician. Yugi blinked, wondering what Lee was up to, as both he and Lee nodded to each other, drawing their cards. Lee then took his drawn card to Yugi, which showed Master Monk breaking through what was Millennium Shield it would seem.

"Now I play the Magic Card, Kaminote Blow! This Magic Card can only be activated if I got Master Monk, Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter, or Monk Fighter on the field. Any Monsters they take on in battle are then destroyed in the Damage Step!"

KAMINOTE BLOW Normal Magic Card Effect: This card can only be activated when you have a face-up "Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter", "Monk Fighter" or "Master Monk" on your side of the Field. During this turn, all Monsters battling the above Monsters are destroyed at the Damage Step.

In a glow of light, Master Monk's body shined. "Go for it, Master Monk! Attack both of Yugi's Monsters!!" Master Monk nodded, crying out as he leapt into the air, kicking Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, causing him to explode after the Damage Step occured. Then he twisted in mid-air, coming down and chopping Chaos Command Magician, blowing him up after the Damage Step calculations occured, which were 0, due to the ATK of Master Monk being 1900, and Chaos Command Magician's DEF being 1900 as well.

In an explosion, both of Yugi's monsters were gone. "Now... I'll set 2 cards face-down and that's the end of my turn!"

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card and smiled. "I play the Trap Card, Call of the Haunted! And with its' effect, I Special Summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" In a flash, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian slashed the air, gripping his sword in his hands. Yugi smiled at Lee.

"I gotta admit, Lee, you got this all down, but... I got something even more to add in! Attacks and skills are good, but... effects matter too! I Sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and I summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch in Attack Mode!!"

In a crash of thunder, standing in place of Obnoxious Celtic Guardian was Zaborg who slashed the air with his hand. "Now I activate Zaborg's effect!! Death Thunder!" Zaborg raised up his arm and shot a bolt of thunder forward. Lee just grinned then flicked his fingers.

"Trap Card! Lone Wolf, activate! This Trap Card only triggers if I got only Master Monk, Monk Fighter, or Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter in my Monster Zone! Now, I can target Master Monk, and he's unaffected by Monster effects AND he can't be destroyed in battle too! Sure, I'd still take Battle Damage, but at least it stops Zaborg's effect from takin' him outta the picture..."

LONE WOLF Continuous Trap Card Effect: This card can only be activated when you have only a "Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter", "Monk Fighter" or "Master Monk" on your side of the Field. As long as this card remains on the Field, the chosen Monster cannot be destroyed as a result of Battle (damage calculations apply normally), and it is not affected by the effects of your opponent's Monster Cards.

With a flick of his arm, Zaborg's Death Thunder was blown away by Master Monk with ease. Yugi and Zaborg looked in surprise, Master Monk looked at both of them, very seriously. Lee smiled, looking at Yugi.

"So, what now?"

"Now I'm gonna attack! Even if I can't destroy Master Monk, I'll still deal Battle Damage! Zaborg, attack Master Monk!" Yugi cried out. Zaborg leapt into the air, channeling thunder around his hands, then fired them at Master Monk, hitting him and dropping Lee's Life Points by 500 points to 3500 points.

"Next, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn!" Yugi said, smiling, still having just a single card in his hand.

"Man! This is getting so exciting! I never would have thought that this Duel was gonna get to be really intense like this! I can't wait to see what my baby is gonna come up with next to handle Yugi!" Vivian smiled, getting rather giddy, even going as far as giggling. Everyone looked at her in surprise, when she next took out two signs, both in Chinese. One said "Do Your Best, Lee-honey!!" and the other one said "Best of Luck, Yugi-chan!!".

"Good luck, guys!!"

"Well... someone is really excited, aren't they?" Mai said, blinking rapidly.

"My turn! Draw!" Lee drew his next card, grinning. "I now Normal Summon Chu-ske the Mouse Fighter in Attack Mode!" In a flash, the small mouse-like humanoid flipped down beside Master Monk, kicking the air. "And following up, I play my set Magic Card, Gift of the Martyr! With this Magic Card, I can send a Monster on my side of the Field, and power up another Monster by that Monster's attack points! So I now Sacrifice Chu-ske to give Master Monk his 1200 ATK!"

GIFT OF THE MARTYR Normal Magic Card Effect: Send 1 Monster on your side of the Field to the Graveyard. Select 1 Monster on your side of the Field. Increase the ATK of the selected Monster by an amount equal to the ATK of the sent Monster until the End Phase of the turn this card is activated.

In a flash, Chu-ske was gone, and Master Monk's ATK began to rise from 1900 to 3100. He smiled and then thrusted his hand forward. "Master Monk! Attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch!!"

Master Monk cried out, leaping into the air, and coming right down at Zaborg, smashing him with one punch, and destroying him, leaving Yugi just with his two set cards, his Life Points dropped by 700 points again, putting him at 2600.

"And now, I activate Master Monk's effect! Master Monk! Attack again! And this will clench the Duel!" Lee smiled. Master Monk cried out, charging at Yugi. Yugi then grinned and said "Quickplay Magic Card!! The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh!!"

"The Flute of Summoning... Kuriboh...?" Lee said, confusion coming across his face.

THE FLUTE OF SUMMONING KURIBOH Quickplay Magic Card Effect: Add 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck to your hand, OR Special Summon 1 "Kuriboh" or 1 "Winged Kuriboh" from your Deck to your side of the field.

"Now I can add either Kuriboh or Winged Kuriboh from my Deck to my hand, or I can Special Summon one of 'em to my side of the Field! So I'm gonna Special Summon Winged Kuriboh to my side of the Field in Defense Mode!!" Yugi's Deck began to shine, then with a cute "Kuri, Kuri!", Winged Kuriboh appeared, taking Master Monk's next attack, exploding and letting out a Kuri! before his death. Lee looked in shock and blinked, then sighed.

"Hoohhhhh, man!! Every time I think I have ya, I don't! GAH!! I end my turn. And that means Master Monk now goes back to his original 1900 ATK since Gift of the Martyr's power up ends at the end of the turn I activated it."

"Alright! My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, and showed it to Lee, smiling. "Now I play my own Graceful Charity!" Yugi drew three cards from his Deck, raising his hand to four cards, then discarded Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 and Level Up! from his hand to the Graveyard. "Next up, I play Double Spell! I'll discard my only Magic Card in my hand to the Graveyard, and now, I activate your Graceful Charity!"

Lee cried out, as his Graveyard began to glow, and Yugi drew three cards again, leaving himself with just one card after he discarded the two cards.

"Hey, Yugi, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Go ahead." Yugi smiled.

"Why the heck did you discard all those cards to my Graceful Charity, your Graceful Charity, and Double Spell?" Asked Lee, blinking. "I mean, I can understand if you got a tactic in mind, but that seems like the waste of a hand to me. As well as just what you drew from your Deck."

"Not really. Now I play Disgraceful Charity!" In a flash, Yugi's second set card flipped face-up, showing a light blue skinned fallen angel with black wings, a glowing card in her softly cupped hands as Yugi smiled. "Now I can get back all the cards I've discarded by Magic Card effects. Four from our Graceful Charities, and one from Double Spell."

DISGRACEFUL CHARITY Normal Trap Card Effect: Both players add all cards discarded from their hand to the Graveyard by a Magic Card effect to their hand.

In a flash, Yugi's five cards all came back to his hand as he grinned brightly, adding them to his hand. "What's my name? Boo-yah! Oh! I've been hanging around Taro so much...."

"C'mon, Yugi, don't be ashamed to say it, man! BOO-YAH!!!! Say it with more emphasis and feeling to it, and you'll have nailed it just right! Aw, screw it! Nice move nonetheless, cuz!" Taro grinned brightly.

"Next up, I play my partner, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 in Attack Mode!" In a flash, Horus cried out, flying in the sky, flames around his body as he then landed in front of Yugi, the flames dispersed. "Next up, I play this card! Mystical Space Typhoon! With its' effect, I can destroy 1 Magic or Trap Card on the Field, and I choose to take out Lone Wolf!" In a flash, Lone Wolf exploded. Yugi then grinned and took Level Up! from his hand.

"Next up, I play Level Up! and send Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4 to the Graveyard and Special Summon from my Deck, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6!" In a flash, Horus's body was wrapped in black flames, and then Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 took LV4's place on the Field.

"Horus! Attack Master Monk!! Black Flame Stream!" Spreading out his wings, Horus LV6's mouth opened up, shooting out the black flame his name was known for, as Master Monk cried out, exploding, Lee's Life Points dropping from 3500 to 3100.

Yugi smiled and then took another card from his hand and smiled, setting it down. "Now I'll set one card face-down and end my turn! Now, that means since Horus LV6 destroyed a Monster in battle and sent it to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 from my Deck! Let's rock! Horus LV8!!"

In a burst of flames, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 disappeared and in his place was the mightiest of all... Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8!

Yugi smiled as Lee looked on, rather tensely, since he knew it wouldn't be easy to take out Horus LV8, given its' effect and its' stats. So, he may have been just stalemated. But he wouldn't give up without a fight. "My turn! Draw!" Looking at his hand, Lee nodded to himself, seeing perhaps... that this time, things were different.

Most of the cards in his hand were Magic Cards, which Yugi would stop with Horus's effect. He then rememebred all the hard work he did, raising his family with his own skills, becoming stronger, smarter, so he could surpass his own limitations. That's all Lee had wanted in life. He exhaled, then smiled.

"I'll set one Monster face-down and I'll end my turn!" Lee smiled, his Duel Monsters card flashing. He just smiled, knowing Yugi probably had him beat, so he had to make the best of this. But... if Yugi fell for his bluff, he could turn the tide and maybe make a comeback!!

"My turn! Draw!" Yugi drew his next card, and said "Now I play this! Book of Taiyou! So let's see what your Monster is." Yugi smiled, as then in a flash, Lee's Legendary Jujitsu Master revealed himself. He looked very serious, having green skin with scars across it, a white dogi with red belt, dark brown hair, and a brown eyepatch over his right eye, his left eye glowing orange.

LEGENDARY JUJITSU MASTER Earth/Rock/3/1300 ATK/1800 DEF Effect: A Monster that battles with this Defense Mode card is returned to the top of the owner's Deck at the end of Damage Step.

"Uh-oh..." Gulped Lee, looking very scared now.  
"I get it! Lee was gonna have Yugi attack his Legendary Jujitsu Master, then since it was in Defense Mode, Horus woulda gone back to the top of Yugi's Deck." Vivian said. "But Yugi saw through it..."

"And now he has a clear shot at victory." Solomon said, as he smiled, thinking to himself.

'I see it, Yugi. You have grown so much in such a short time. You have surpassed Atem beyond just besting him. You have wise tactics and so much more to offer. I pray tell I get to see more Duels like these... even if Lee had the early lead, you have done well.'

"Now I play the Magic Card, Double Attack! With its' effect, I can discard a Monster from my hand and then if the Level of a Monster I select is lower than that Monster's, it can attack twice."

"Huh!? Not many people got Monsters with a Level higher than 8, Yugi! How can you actually...?" Lee then looked in surprise as Yugi held up Winged Kuriboh LV10, smiling.

"This is how! Winged Kuriboh LV10, the highest leveled monster in my Deck! I'll just discard him! And this ends our Duel! I am glad I got to have a rematch with you, Lee! Last time, I got a good glimpse of your talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it!"

Lee blinked, but smiled. "Even if I've lost... hearing that... makes me feel really good."  
Vivian smiled also, sniffling a bit, saddened by Lee's loss, but knowing that Yugi was right about him.  
"Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8! Attack Legendary Jujitsu Master!"  
Horus's mouth began to glow with his black flame as he fired, destroying Legendary Jujitsu Master, dropping Lee's LP to 1400.

"Now!! HORUS! Direct attack!!" Yugi cried out. Horus nodded, his mouth glowing with the black flame again, striking at Lee, who cried out as his Life Points went straight to 0. He then dropped to one knee and smiled, panting, his left eye closed.

Yugi smiled and then sat down, laughing softly. Lee blinked, then he began to laugh as well, a smile across his face.

"Ya know, I didn't think I'd get held back from most of my cards when you got Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8 out! And... you said you called it your partner, Yugi. Is that true? I mean, I didn't even know if Duel Monsters could be partners with us. I get a bond with your Deck from your love and hard work in creating it and all..." Lee said.

"Duel Monsters ARE real. Some people may not believe it as easily, Lee, but I know they are. And Horus is my partner. He and I are partners to the end. And my other Monsters aren't servants, like how some Duelists may see theirs as. But they are my dear friends, who are gonna be at my side for a while. I just know it. I know that even if I part with them, that I'll have all those battles I've shared with them, regardless of what others will think of my ideals for them. I know not every Duelist is the same, and I'm glad for that... I just wanted to let everyone who doubts it know I am a True Duelist... because of what I beleive in. And I know others are for what they do too."

Lee looked on at Yugi, hearing his words, both with his ears and his heart, then smiled, chuckling a bit. 'What a dreamer this kid seems to be, but yet, he made me wanna come here to Japan. If I didn't come, would I have gotten so many friends? Or began to expand my horizons? I wonder.'

As Lee pondered, Vivian ran over, glomp-hugging him, her arms around his neck, a grin on her face as she nuzzled her cheek against his. Lee turned then smiled as Yugi chuckled also, Horus appearing behind him, transparent, a smile on his face as well.

-[To Be Continued...]- 


End file.
